Viewers have praised Russell T Davies’ new drama It’s A Sin as “beautiful” and “heartbreaking”.
The writer and producer, known for his work on Queer As Folk and Doctor Who, returned to screens with the Channel 4 series exploring the HIV/Aids crisis in 1980s London.
Friday’s series opener saw Years & Years singer Olly Alexander debut as Ritchie Tozer, while Omari Douglas featured as Roscoe Babatunde.
Viewers were quick to praise the programme for its depiction of a group of young friends living amidst the HIV/Aids crisis.
It's A Sin is brilliant, beautiful, poignant and heartbreaking #IsASin
Advertisement— Catherine Kelliher (@kitty_kelliher) January 22, 2021
One said: “It’s A Sin is brilliant, beautiful, poignant and heartbreaking.”
Another described the show as “outstanding”, while a third said it had already “cemented itself in TV history”.
Interval tweet - anyone else absolutely loving It's A Sin? bursting with compassion, heart and humanity. What an inspiring young cast as well. Thank you for a small piece of joy this month @russelldavies63 @pryorandy #peterhoar
— Sam Day (@SamWLDay) January 22, 2021
The young cast was also praised by viewers, with one tweeting: “Interval tweet – anyone else absolutely loving It’s A Sin? bursting with compassion, heart and humanity. What an inspiring young cast as well. Thank you for a small piece of joy this month.”
US actor Neil Patrick Harris, best known for roles in How I Met Your Mother and A Series Of Unfortunate Events, was trending on Twitter during the programme, as fans praised his performance as an upper-class tailor and mentor to one of the main characters.
A fan wrote: “NEIL PATRICK HARRIS IN A BRITISH 80S BASED DRAMA HAS GOT TO BE THE BEST NEXT THING IN THE HISTORY OF CHANNEL 4. CREDIT TO RUSSELL T DAVIES.”
One of the first scenes saw Roscoe leave his family home, cutting ties with his parents and embracing his homosexuality.
Roscoe being the hero I could never be at that age. Just an extraordinary opening 💕#ItsASin
— Amrou Al-Kadhi 🦄 (@Glamrou) January 22, 2021
The drag queen Glamrou, real name Amrou Al-Kadhi, wrote on Twitter: “Roscoe being the hero I could never be at that age. Just an extraordinary opening.”
It’s A Sin ❤️
— Jodie Harsh (@jodieharsh) January 22, 2021
Drag queen and DJ Jodie Harsh also tweeted love heart emojis in response to the show.
Ahead of the episode, Alexander, who is a vocal advocate for LGBT rights, shared his excitement.
He wrote on Twitter: “OMG TWENTY MINUTES”.
