It’s A Sin

Channel 4, 9pm

After the landmark gay drama Queer As Folk, the rebooted Doctor Who and the more recent Years And Years, the brilliant Russell T. Davies offers this saga tackling gay life in Britain in the 1980s, and particularly the devastating impact of AIDS.

Steering clear of mawkish melancholy, Davies first introduces us to young men who are escaping their families and thoroughly enjoying all that London has to offer – in some very explicit scenes – before anyone has even heard of the disease.

Nostalgists will enjoy the pop tracks – The Communards and Soft Cell among the choice acts – as we’re soon captivated by the characters, including mischievously charming actor Ritchie (Olly Alexander, right) and Colin, a handsome Savile Row assistant fresh from remote Wales (Callum Scott Howells). The series is available to view on All4 after episode one.