IT’S A SIN is a five-part drama, spanning 10 years.

Set from 1981-1991, the series follows a group of young people, who end up sharing a flat in London. But when the HIV/AIDS crisis hits, it turns their lives upside down.

It’s a Sin, although humorous it is also heartbreaking. This brilliant drama serves as a reminder of just how devastating the AIDS epidemic was and how it more or less wiped out an entire generation of men and women. It also serves as a reminder of just how ignorant people were back then (mainly due to lack of knowledge/information and homophobia), including our very own medical professionals.

In an infuriating scene, one of the friend’s, Jill Baker (played by Lydia West) visits her GP and requests information about HIV/AIDS. Lydia is then abruptly told, ” Oh! you don’t need to worry about that!”. During this period, it was widely believed that HIV/AIDS only affected gay men. “Gay Cancer” and “gay disease” were the terms being thrown around at the time.

As a result, many who were already disowned by their families died in pain and alone in a hospital bed. But thankfully, there were others who had close friends, who later became family. This family looked after and cared for them until the end.

Salute to The Aids Memorial (@theaidsmemorial), a brilliant and informative Instagram page dedicated to remembering those who died during the epidemic.

IT’S A SIN is available to watch on All 4 🇬🇧 and HBO MAX 🇺🇲