AIDS: THE UNHEARD TAPES
BBC2, 9.30pm
This three-part documentary series tells the story of the British AIDS crisis, brought to life with previously unheard interviews from the time.
It was 40 years ago that the mysterious disease first appeared, a deadly virus dubbed the “gay plague” with no known cure.
Arriving at a time when homophobia and discrimination were commonplace, few could talk openly about their experiences.
As the crisis grew, a small group of researchers began recording audio interviews with infected gay men and their friends. These frank and intimate interviews were archived in the British Library and have never been broadcast before.
Actors lip-sync to the original voice recordings, while there are also present-day interviews with activists, scientists and medics who lived, worked and campaigned throughout the crisis.
Starting with the death of Heaven barman Terry Higgins in 1982 and ending in 1995 with the emergence of the first successful drug combinations, it’s an exploration of pioneering medicine and a fight against prejudice.