It’s a Sin star Callum Scott Howells on why playing Henry Paget in Madfabulous changed his life (EXCLUSIVE)

Bad news. It’s a Sin star Callum Scott Howells is putting his shirt back on. The actor says his perfectly formed six-pack has already enjoyed too much airtime on social media.  

“I’ve been shameless, I admit,” says Howells. “Friends have messaged, saying, ‘Stop posting the six-pack — put it away!’ I’ve been like the guy in Friday Night Dinner; I just can’t keep my top on now I have abs.”

The 26-year-old’s amazing abs are thanks to a personal trainer who was brought in to hone his physique for Deadpoint, a five-part action thriller due to air on Channel 4 later this year. But we’re here today to discuss Howells’ role as 19th-century Welsh aristocrat Henry Paget in upcoming biopic Madfabulous. While Howells’ chiselled torso may be alluring, the dazzling costumes and sets in this frocktastic adventure are even more eye-catching. 

What is Madfabulous about?

The film charts the extraordinary life of Paget, the fifth Marquess of Anglesey. Dubbed the “dancing Marquess”, he inherited Plas Newydd on Anglesey, his family’s ancestral home, along with a vast fortune, when his father died in 1898. He then embarked on a life of excess and blew the equivalent of £60 million in today’s money on madcap extravagance. 

Although at the time Paget’s spending habits were considered foolish in a way that challenged Edwardian society, today they’re often regarded as a wild expression of individualism.

Living his life in a way that eschewed socialite, gender and class protocols, Paget confronted the conventions of his time, with the result that he’s now seen as a trailblazing queer icon. He would throw wild parties at Plas Newydd, which he renamed Anglesey Castle. He also had the property’s former church converted into the Gaiety Theatre, where he would put on lavish stage shows and appear in elaborate women’s costumes. 

Madfabulous director, the BAFTA Cymru-winning Celyn Jones, says, “The entry point in the Henry Paget story was when I saw this remarkable black-and-white photograph of the man, dressed in one of his amazing costumes. I looked at it and thought, ‘Is this glam rock in the 19th century?’ 

“It was a genuine honour to play him” – Callum Scott Howells on playing Colin Morris-Jones in It’s a Sin

“Naturally, we had an exact replica made for Callum to wear in the same pose. The costumes were absolutely key to the movie — we couldn’t just hire them in; each one had to be handmade. The hair and makeup were just as important. Fortunately, we had the brilliant Nadia Stacey, who won an Academy Award for [best makeup and hairstyling in] Poor Things.”

Howells, who won a BAFTA for playing Colin Morris-Jones in HIV/AIDS drama It’s a Sin, says, “It was a genuine honour to play him — such a rebellious character who was ahead of his time in so many ways. He was a cross between David Bowie and Marc Bolan — gender fluid and, later, an inspiration to so many.”  

The actor, who has also been cast as Holly Johnson in Relax, a biopic about 80s chart-toppers Frankie Goes to Hollywood, says he was embarrassed that he had previously known nothing about Paget, despite his Welsh origins. “I can’t imagine my life now not knowing him, because Henry has had such an impact on me in every sort of way,” says Howells. “I was actually on holiday in Tenerife when my agent sent me the script. I read it on a sunbed and honestly couldn’t put it down. 

“It just played on my mind who this man was — the script was such an education, and I couldn’t believe what he did. As someone who loves fashion, loves expressing myself in a variety of ways, I saw so much of me in this incredible figure.”

Madfabulous will have its world premiere at BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, which runs from 18–29 March.

This is an excerpt from a feature appearing in Attitude’s March/April 2026 issue.