It’s A Sin was almost never made after being rejected by at least three TV channels
"It went round various channels and was turned down, at least twice if not three times" says creator Russell T Davies
Words: Jamie Tabberer; picture: Channel 4
It’s A Sin was almost never made after being rejected by multiple TV stations, creator Russell T Davies has revealed.
The ground-breaking Channel 4 drama – which follows the lives of gay men during the rise of HIV/Aids in the 1980s – aired to rave reviews last week.
However, it turns out even C4 were initially sceptical about the show, which Doctor Who icon Russell originally planned as an eight-parter.
“I still mourn the eight-part version”
Speaking to Pink News, he said: “[It’s a Sin] kind of went from channel to channel to channel and I was first talking about this in 2015. […] It was a hard sell, you know, that’s why it went round various channels and was turned down, at least twice if not three times.
“Genuinely, because it’s about people dying. It’s a tough piece of work.”
The Queer As Folk creator added: “It always started at Channel 4. They said no. And then it went to BBC One and they said no. It even went to ITV at one point, and they just said: ‘Not yet. We’re not quite that sort of channel yet.’”
Of his original plan to make the show eight episodes, RTD explained: “I still mourn the eight-part version. I’m sad that never got made, that hurts. I did have to cut things out”, however conceding: “Then, to be honest, I don’t think we’d have got Olly Alexander and I don’t think we’d have got a cast like this to sign up for many, many years.”
Years & Years front man Olly plays the lead character Ritchie in the hit show, while Bodyguard‘s Keeley Hawes plays his mother.
In other IAS news, Mayor of Lambeth Philip Normal has launched special shirts bearing the show catchphrase ‘la’, with £20 from each £25 sale going towards HIV/AIDS charity the Terrance Higgins Trust.
Attitude has approached the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 for comment.
The Attitude 101 February issue featuring 101 LGBTQ trailblazers is out now.
Subscribe in print and get your first three issues for just £3, or digitally for just over £1 per issue.
