Russell T Davies’ TV drama miniseries, It’s A Sin, delivers a shockingly heartbreaking moment in episode 3, in which Colin (Callum Scott Howells) is diagnosed with AIDS and locked up by the Public Health Act of 1984, leading to his death shortly thereafter. Set in 1980s London, It’s A Sin depicts the lives of a group of gay men amid the HIV/AIDS crisis, and the absolutely horrifying way in which men afflicted by the illness were treated at the time, battling mistreatment and unlawful isolation.
Prior to Colin’s heart-wrenching fate in episode 3, he was fired by his boss at the end of episode 2 after being spotted with the AIDS publications he had sourced in New York. Despite these dire circumstances, Colin had worked his way to promotion at his new workplace, the local print shop, while also finding the time to volunteer as an AIDS activist with Jill (Lydia West). However, things take a murkier turn when Colin has a seizure at work and suffers from hallucinations later on, at which point he is diagnosed with AIDS. Suffering intensely from the rare neurological symptoms caused by a viral inflammation of the brain, Colin is clearly in need of extensive medical care and support. Instead, he is deemed a “public menace” and locked away in a room, while his mother faces cruel ostracization by those around her.
While Colin is released shortly after with the aid of Jill, his condition worsens, leading to his death at the tender age of 24. This moment is extremely devastating to witness, especially due to the fact that while Colin is a fictional character created by Davies, his plight is based on a real case that occurred in the 1980s. The socio-political climate in 1980s London during the peak of the AIDS crisis, in conjunction with the ignorance and stigma surrounding it, contributed to the loss of countless young lives. In 1985, Ken Clarke, the then Conservative Minister of Health, enacted powers to keep AIDS patients in hospital against their will. This gross abuse of power was exercised upon a 29-year-old gay man afflicted with AIDS, who was locked against his will in Monsall Hospital’s isolation unit in Manchester.
This proved to be a turning point in the AIDS activist movement, as queer groups campaigned against the Public Health Act shortly afterward, which led to the court order being withdrawn after 10 days. A similar incident occurs in episode 3 with Colin, wherein he is locked in a sparse hospital room reminiscent of the one in which Henry Coltrane (Neil Patrick Harris) is seen in episode 1. While Colin is admitted to a far more humane medical facility in London, wherein he is granted the care and treatment he deserves, his condition takes a turn for the worse, leaving him friends and loved ones scared and horrified. It is important to note that Colin’s fate is a reflection of the all-too-real pain, ostracization, and trauma faced by men afflicted by HIV/AIDS at the time, and the emotional toll it took on those closest to the lives that were lost.
The acute helplessness and paranoia of the times is encapsulated in an especially heartrending scene, the one in which the gang learn about Colin’s diagnosis. On learning about Colin’s fatal illness, Roscoe (Omari Douglas) begins cleaning their shared space in an anxious haze, eventually breaking down in tears, which is an incredibly sad and powerful moment in the show. While Colin’s death has understandably shaken viewers of It’s A Sin, it is a critical emotional juncture that exemplifies the cruel way in which men like Colin were treated, and the repercussions that followed due to systemic neglect, hate-fueled bias, and full-blown medical ignorance.
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