Orders for HIV tests triple thanks to success of Russell T Davies’ 1980s gay drama It’s A Sin

Orders for HIV tests triple thanks to success of Russell T Davies’ 1980s gay drama It’s A Sin, Channel 4 says

  • It’s A Sin followed a group of gay men navigating the HIV/Aids crisis in the 1980s
  • The show’s success prompted a surge in testing orders and calls to helplines
  • The series’ release coincided with National HIV Testing Week in February

HIV test orders have tripled thanks to the success of Channel 4’s hit 1980s drama It’s A Sin.

The series, which follows a group of gay men in London during the AIDS pandemic, aired last month and was written by Russell T Davies.

Figures obtained by sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust show that tests were ordered at a faster rate than ever before since the show aired.

HIV test orders have tripled thanks to the success of Channel 4’s hit 1980s drama It’s A Sin

Figures obtained by sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust show that tests were ordered at a faster rate than ever before since the show aired

Figures obtained by sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust show that tests were ordered at a faster rate than ever before since the show aired

The drama’s broadcast coincided with National HIV Testing Week in February.

On its first day, three times as many orders for HIV tests were carried out than its previous record number.

Across the week, 17,000 test orders were placed, more than double the 8,200 ordered in the previous National HIV Testing Week.

The charity’s HIV helpline has also had a 30 per cent increase in calls the day after It’s A Sin launched.

Visits to their website have doubled and sales of a charity t-shirt inspired by the show have raised £250,000.

Russell T Davies, the writer and producer behind Queer As Folk, the 2005 revival of Doctor Who and Cucumber, loosely based It's A Sin on his own experiences in the eighties

Russell T Davies, the writer and producer behind Queer As Folk, the 2005 revival of Doctor Who and Cucumber, loosely based It’s A Sin on his own experiences in the eighties

Viewing figures for the heartbreaking drama have also been released, with 18.9million people tuning in to watch the series.

It makes It’s A Sin All 4’s biggest ever instant box set and its most binged show.

The debut episode was Channel 4’s biggest drama launch in three years among younger viewers. 

Ian Katz, Chief Content Officer, Channel 4 said: ‘It’s thrilling that It’s a Sin has touched so many people in in such a powerful way. It’s a wonderful example of how great television can emotionally engage millions of people and leave a real legacy of positive change – just what Channel 4 is there for.’

It’s A Sin followed a group of friends throughout the eighties as their life of hedonistic partying is infiltrated by the emergence of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. 

Davies, the writer and producer behind Queer As Folk, the 2005 revival of Doctor Who and Cucumber, loosely based It’s A Sin on his own experiences in the eighties.

The cast of young talent is supported by a string of veteran screen stars, including Keeley, Stephen Fry and Neil Patrick Harris.