TELEVISION

SATURDAY JANUARY 23

Best known as the man who revived in the noughties, screenwriter Russell T Davies returns to his other speciality – gay-themed drama with a human touch. is set among a group of young men, mostly new arrivals in London, as the Aids crisis takes hold in the early 1980s. As, the first British gay television drama, in 1999, it and subsequent works had no mention of HIV. “I think I had to wait until now to find what I wanted to say.” The five episodes focus on a trio of 18-year-olds who react differently to the virus. The storylines are based on his experiences in his late teens, and one character is based on long-time friend Jill Nalder, who became a carer to many of her gay male friends as they fell ill. Its drama about life upended by a global virus may resonate and it depicts an era of grief, loss and anger. But is not all heartache and protest. Previews suggest it’s a frank, funny and exuberant series that celebrates place and period.