TAINTED LOVE
Henry Neil Patrick Harris plays
Colin Callum Scott Howells as and Omari Douglas as Roscoe
IT’S the beginning of the 1980s. Soft Cell is Number One. There’s a huge gay party scene in London – and plenty of people who want to be a part of it. This funny, stylish and important series from acclaimed screenwriter Russell T Davies follows a group of young gay men living and loving in the shadow of the AIDS crisis.
We first meet 18-year-old Ritchie Tozer (Olly Alexander), who is leaving behind his rather sheltered life on the Isle of Wight to go to university in London.
His parents, played by Keeley Hawes and Shaun Dooley, have no idea he’s gay.
Meanwhile in London, Roscoe Babatunde (Omari Douglas) storms out of home after his horrified parents discover him in the Gay News.
And straight-laced but curious
Colin Morris-jones (Callum Scott Howells) arrives in the capital from South Wales, ready to start a new career on Savile Row. American star of stage and screen Neil Patrick Harris is excellent as Henry Coltrane, Colin’s manager who takes him under his wing.
Eventually the lives of Ritchie, Roscoe and Colin collide and they form a gang with student
Ash (Nathaniel Curtis) and Jill (Lydia West), living in their flat they call the Pink Palace.
Now they can all finally live their lives – but a mystery illness is causing concern. It’s dubbed the ‘Gay Flu’, but is it really a threat?
With an all-star cast, also including Tracy Ann Oberman and Stephen Fry, as well as a stonking 80s soundtrack and witty script, this is a drama everyone will be talking about.