Olly Alexander has responded to the news of record HIV tests being recorded following the release of his new TV show, It’s A Sin.
The Years & Years frontman stars as Ritchie in Russell T Davies’ new Channel 4 show, which tackles the Aids crisis of the 1980s.
Since the show aired last month rates of HIV tests across the country have risen, and Alexander says he’s “moved” by the uptake that the show has inspired.
According to an employee of the Terrence Higgins Trust charity, the previous record of tests ordered in one day stood at 2,800. This Monday (February 1), 8,200 tests were ordered.
“I’m trying not to cry,” he said while appearing on BBC Breakfast. “I think it’s just amazing to see a real-time response to the show from the audience who is watching. I’m just really moved by it honestly.”
"It's amazing to see real time response to the show"
Olly Alexander, who plays Ritchie in It's A Sin, tells #BBCBreakfast he's moved by the rise in HIV testing following the programme. https://t.co/NgD9vOrMeV pic.twitter.com/ZdzIzg7WsA
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) February 5, 2021
Alexander also recently took to social media to encourage people to get tested for National HIV Testing Week.
Posting to Twitter and Instagram, he said: “There has been amazing progress in the fight against this virus thanks to the early activists who fought for research, for funding, for humanity. This means today we have PrEP, a pill that you can take to stop you contracting HIV.
“We have effective medication that stops you getting sick if you are HIV-positive, and stops you from passing it on to any partners.
“Charities like Terence Higgins Trust are there to support you with whatever you need, whatever your result. So, let’s celebrate this amazing progress by taking a test and knowing our status.”
it's national HIV testing week!! let's celebrate our progress in fighting this virus by taking a free test and knowing our status. Go check @THTorguk for more info
#nationalhivtestingweek #ItsASin https://t.co/FoPsojEESv pic.twitter.com/Uj7tt4iRuc
— olly alexander
(@alexander_olly) February 1, 2021
This week it was revealed that It’s A Sin has become Channel 4’s most-binged series of all time.
The show, which chronicles the lives of gay friends living in London during the ’80s Aids crisis, has accumulated 6.5million views on All 4, securing it as the Channel 4 streamer’s biggest ever instant box set.
Reviewing It’s A Sin, NME wrote: “By telling this story through the eyes of warm, flawed and sometimes frustrating characters you’ll care about, it offers a heartbreaking reminder of the countless lives claimed by HIV/AIDS.”
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