Russell T Davies could bring back It’s a Sin characters for ‘modern-day’ follow-up
It’s a Sin starred Lydia West as Jill Baxter. (Channel 4)
An It’s a Sin producer has shared Russell T Davies’ idea for a follow-up series.
The groundbreaking series was broadcast just over a year ago on Channel 4, and is already considered one of the all-time greats of queer storytelling.
The heartbreaking finale wrapped up the story fairly neatly, but executive producer Nicola Shindler has revealed that she’s discussed a sequel with creator Russell T Davies.
Speaking at a BAFTA Sessions event, Shindler said that where It’s a Sin told the story of the AIDS crisis in 1980s London, Davies has considered writing a series about young teenage boys being blackmailed online.
“There were a lot of stories in the press about young boys being manipulated online to masturbate,” Shindler said. “They were being filmed and then they were being blackmailed, essentially.
Shindler said that Davies was “really concerned” about the reports, and had the idea of telling a present-day story involving It’s a Sin characters Jill (Lydia West) and Roscoe (Omari Douglas).
Omari Douglas played Roscoe in It’s a Sin, a rare example of a Black, British LGBT+ character in a mainstream TV series. (Channel 4)
“He thought, what if you cut to the present day and Jill and Roscoe are out there to stop people from doing this. There are so many vulnerable people that need looking after or need some kind of attention shining on them”, she said.
“He just wanted to pick it up in the present day and say there are still so many people out there who need protecting. That was the point of it.”
This doesn’t mean that an It’s a Sin follow-up is coming soon, however, as Shindler explained that Davies hasn’t moved past the ideas stage.
“I don’t know if he’ll be cross that I’ve told people what the idea is”, she joked.
It’s a Sin leads the upcoming BAFTA Television Awards nominations, which take place on 8 May.
It’s up for 11 awards, including Best Actor and Best Actress for Olly Alexander (Ritchie) and Lydia West, respectively. Omari Douglas, David Carlyle (Gregory) and Callum Scott Howells (Colin) have also been nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
