It’s A Sin proposed sequel being discussed

Executive producer Nicola Shindler has revealed an idea for an It’s A Sin sequel that Russell T Davies discussed with her.

Released in January 2021, the original five-episode miniseries focused on the devastating impact of HIV and AIDS in the 1980s from the perspective of a group of young people sharing a flat in London.

In spite of the show’s astronomical success, Shindler said a sequel is unlikely to be made at this time, but added that Davies has considered tackling a contemporary issue in a follow-up series.

Speaking at It’s A Sin’s BAFTA Television Session, she said: “There was a time when there were a lot of stories in the press about young boys being manipulated online to masturbate. They were being filmed and then they were being blackmailed, essentially.

“It was young teenage boys and it was something that Russell [T Davies] was really concerned about. It sounds like it’s not related at all, except that he thought: ‘What if you cut to the present day, and what if Jill and Roscoe are going out there, trying to stop the people who are doing this?’”

This isn’t the first time Davies has toyed with revisiting Jill (Lydia West) and Roscoe (Omari Douglas), as his original pitch for It’s A Sin spanned eight episodes and picked up with these two characters decades after the main story.

In this proposed sequel, which is not currently in active development, they would be the connective tissue for a story tackling similar themes to the initial run.

“It’s about looking after the boys, really, because originally it was called The Boys,” continued Shindler. “He just wanted to pick up on that idea that one problem might have gone away, but there are still so many vulnerable people out there who need looking after, or who need some kind of attention shining on them.

“He never wrote any of it – it was a small idea, I don’t know if he’ll be cross that I’ve told people what the idea is,” she added. “He just wanted to pick it up in the present day and say, ‘Look, there are still so many people out there who need some kind of protection.’ That was the point of it.”

For the time being, Davies is busy working on the next generation of long-running sci-fi drama Doctor Who, with an as-yet-unannounced new lead actor.

The BAFTA TV Awards will take place on Sunday 8th May at The Royal Festival Hall, hosted by Richard Ayoade and broadcast on BBC One.