Russell T Davies releases first look of Olly Alexander’s character from new Aids drama ‘Boys’
The 'Queer as Folk' creator's eagerly-anticipated new drama charts the lives of three young gay men of the course of the '80s.
By Steve Brown
Russell T Davies has released a first look at Olly Alexander’s character in the upcoming Aids drama Boys.
The eagerly-anticipated five-part series, set to air on Channel 4 in 2020, wil chart the lives of three young gay friends in London over the course of the decade which saw the Aids crisis unfold.
In the new series, Alexander will play 18-year-old Ritchie Tozer, described as “the family’s golden boy, though he’s determined to keep his secrets from them”.
He will be joined on screen by A-list screen stars including How I Met Your Mother‘s Neil Patrick Harris, who plays Henry Coltrane, and Stephen Fry, who’ll play an MP called Arthur Garrison.
And now, Davies has released an image of Alexander from the upcoming drama and all we can say is ‘triple denim’.
Posting on Instagram, Davies said: “Olly Alexander as Ritchie, Ep.3 Sc.77, BOYS, Channel 4, coming in 2020.”
Screen newcomers Omari Douglas and Callum Scott Howells will star alongside Alexander as the two other central ‘boys’ of the series.
The show’s cast also includes Bodyguard’s Keeley Hawes as Ritchie’s mum, Valerie, Broadchurch’s Shaun Dooley as his dad, Clive, his dad, and former EastEnders star Tracy Ann Oberman as Carol Carter.
Lydia West – who you may recognise from Davies’ recent dystopian drama Years and Years – plays “straight-talking, funny” Jill, while Nathaniel Curtis plays Ash, “a faithful friend through thick and thin”.
Boys will premiere on Channel 4 in 2020 in the UK.