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Post by distantcousin on Jan 26, 2021 23:36:18 GMT
Also, can I just say that when he says “we were all AIDS deniers”.. no Russell we weren’t ALL AIDS deniers. It all kicked off just as people my age should have been exploring their sexuality and I along with most gay men I knew were absolutely petrified. It totally changed our behaviour which is probably why we’re still here to tell the tale. I find RTD to be a one-trick pony. Sorry Dr Who fans! Cucumber was ok but clichéd AF. Years and Years started ok but turned into a preposterous mess. He’s overrated.
Unpopular opinion because he has reached national treasure status (particularly among The Gays), but I agree to a certain extent.
I enjoy his work, but his tropes and style is very familiar now.
It's A Sin was excellent. The dialogue in particular, but it was all quite familiar territory (plus I think I've seen more AIDS dramas than I've had hot dinners!)
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Post by distantcousin on Jan 26, 2021 23:44:51 GMT
Apparently it was originally only going to be 4 eps but RTD begged for another one and got it stretched to 5 - which is possibly why the first 3 are more rushed, as he writes-as-he-goes-along, so probably the green light for the additional episode was quite late in his process. There are times when the economy of the storytelling really works, and times when it leaves characters feeling underdeveloped. IMO they should have gone for 6 eps to start with and let everything breathe in the first 3 eps. I am not sure whether it’s actually Olly A’s inexperience as an actor having the effect cited or whether it’s the thing that didn’t really strike me properly until I’d had time to sit with that last Ep, which is that his character is a bit of a dick. A charming, handsome, funny, charismatic, attention-seeking, dick. He is certainly not how protagonists in AIDS dramas are usually portrayed - he is entirely self-centred. Funny, I thought it felt more like 6 Eps trimmed down to 5! There really should've been another 45 minutes to stretch out those first 3 Eps and the start of Ep4. {Spoiler - click to view} I don't think Olly was really that bad, it's just everyone else around him was so much better it made him look bad.
The character was basically Nathan from QAF. He's ghastly, but there are plenty of them about in gayworld I can assure you.
Most of the characters in And the Band Played On are pretty similar.
He's since revealed it was written as an 8 parter, but it was impossible to get the funding. BBC, ITV and Channel 5 all ultimately passed on it. So he had to cut a lot out of his original script/format.
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Post by kathryn on Jan 27, 2021 0:25:53 GMT
That’s just mad, in an era when Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon Prime et al are throwing money at people to do whatever they want.
The terrestrial channels are slowly but surely losing talent to the streaming services - they should be actively wooing people like RTD.
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Post by Roxie on Jan 28, 2021 10:50:29 GMT
Oh my Gosh this show was AMAZING!! So educational. I was a small child in the 80s, so this was a real eye opener! So sad how some of the men were treated!
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Post by dontdreamit on Jan 28, 2021 20:44:12 GMT
We’ve just finished the final episode - I’m in bits. Superb all round.
There are bits that could be nit-picked but it deserves to win everything.
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Post by SuperTrooper on Jan 29, 2021 22:18:09 GMT
Episode 2 didn't disappoint!
Most people I know have binged it and judging by reactions I don't think I'd cope so I'm going to stick with weekly.
I caught the end on Jill's interview on GMB this morning, she comes across so well. I'm glad that the show is getting the recognition it deserves.
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Post by anthony40 on Jan 29, 2021 22:43:25 GMT
I too am sticking to the weekly episode.
What struck me tonight was two things: the compassion of the black guy's sister (something I picked up on in Episode 1) and the burning of the photographs in the bonfire.
Given the time and lack of knowledge I can (kinda) understand the bonfire but the photographs? It's like they completely wiped him out of their lives, tinged with grief.
So very sad.
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Post by theatreian on Jan 29, 2021 22:57:06 GMT
Yes another good episode. I too am watching it weekly amd it is not an easy watch but very well done. Great performances all round.
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Post by richey on Jan 29, 2021 23:10:43 GMT
Watching weekly here too. Most of my friends seem to have binged it but I'd rather take my time with it. Tonight's episode was another stunner, that ending really packed a punch.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Jan 29, 2021 23:31:46 GMT
I cried twice.
There is no way I can binge this.
I will want to watch it all again later. But for now, 1 hour a week is enough
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Post by kathryn on Jan 29, 2021 23:52:15 GMT
I too am sticking to the weekly episode. What struck me tonight was two things: the compassion of the black guy's sister (something I picked up on in Episode 1) and the burning of the photographs in the bonfire. Given the time and lack of knowledge I can (kinda) understand the bonfire but the photographs? It's like they completely wiped him out of their lives, tinged with grief. So very sad. It was the photographs that did it for me. Wiping him out because of the shame and the fear, like he never existed at all. Like it was just too painful to be reminded of him. So awful.
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Post by sfsusan on Jan 30, 2021 0:41:33 GMT
I too am watching it weekly amd it is not an easy watch but very well done. There is no way I can binge this. I couldn't binge-watch this... it's far too intense. Given the time and lack of knowledge I can (kinda) understand the bonfire but the photographs? It's like they completely wiped him out of their lives, tinged with grief. I was originally thinking that it was anything he'd touched. When his mother collected the sympathy cards from the mantle, however, did those go on the bonfire, too? If so, then I agree, they were burning anything that reminded them of him.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Jan 30, 2021 0:50:36 GMT
The bonfire scene reminded me of stories I heard about parts of the US where crematoria were refusing to cremate anyone suspected of dying of AIDS. Such a scary period for so many reasons
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Post by alece10 on Jan 30, 2021 9:53:19 GMT
Watching weekly too, really don't think this is something I could watch in one go. As others have said above the bonfire scene at the end was very powerful and upsetting showing how the family wanted to wipe his life out completely. On a lighter note am I guessing right that this is filmed in Manchester and not London? The buildings have those distinctive red bricks you see in Manchester.
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Post by anthony40 on Jan 30, 2021 10:33:31 GMT
I have been thinking about last nights episode.
Apart from the bonfire scene, a couple of things stuck out.
Firstly, I thought the whole sequence where Ollie's character denies HIC was well done. I do realise that it as all editing, but the way it was done, with the group behind him, I thought was quite effective.
Also when Ollie's character was under the pier with that guy and how he suddenly lost interest when he found out that Ollie was from London.
Despite his resentment to his family it was also nice to see the softer side of the flamboyant black character (sorry, can't remember the characters name)
Finally, the lecherous old man. We saw in Episode 1 how uncomfortable he made Colin feel and the fact that at the end he got his cuppupance for cottaging. Now whilst as the viewer we're happy, on the flip side, it comes down to Russell T Davies' writing and the acting, that makes you dislike the character. Kudos to whoever that actor was.
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Post by alece10 on Jan 30, 2021 10:36:10 GMT
I have been thinking about last nights episode. Apart from the bonfire scene, a couple of things stuck out. Firstly, I thought the whole sequence where Ollie's character denies HIC was well done. I do realise that it as all editing, but the way it was done, with the group behind him, I thought was quite effective. Also when Ollie's character was under the pier with that guy and how he suddenly lost interest when he found out that Ollie was from London. Despite his resentment to his family it was also nice to see the softer side of the flamboyant black character (sorry, can't remember the characters name) Finally, the lecherous old man. We saw in Episode 1 how uncomfortable he made Colin feel and the fact that at the end he got his cuppupance for cottaging. Now whilst as the viewer we're happy, on the flip side, it comes down to Russell T Davies' writing and the acting, that makes you dislike the character. Kudos to whoever that actor was. Agree with your points above. At one point I thought the actor was a very overweight Colin Baker.
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Post by richey on Jan 30, 2021 11:21:10 GMT
Watching weekly too, really don't think this is something I could watch in one go. As others have said above the bonfire scene at the end was very powerful and upsetting showing how the family wanted to wipe his life out completely. On a lighter note am I guessing right that this is filmed in Manchester and not London? The buildings have those distinctive red bricks you see in Manchester. Yes you're right, a lot of the locations are in Manchester. Lots of friends have already been posting pictures of themselves outside the Pink Palace. Some of the locations are listed here but may be considered spoilers if you've not seen every episode yet. www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/tv/manchester-filming-locations-used-channel-19674900
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Post by bimse on Jan 30, 2021 12:11:32 GMT
Watching weekly too, really don't think this is something I could watch in one go. As others have said above the bonfire scene at the end was very powerful and upsetting showing how the family wanted to wipe his life out completely. On a lighter note am I guessing right that this is filmed in Manchester and not London? The buildings have those distinctive red bricks you see in Manchester. Yes you're right, a lot of the locations are in Manchester. Lots of friends have already been posting pictures of themselves outside the Pink Palace. Some of the locations are listed here but may be considered spoilers if you've not seen every episode yet. www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/tv/manchester-filming-locations-used-channel-19674900And Richie’s parent’s house, supposed to be on the Isle of Wight, was in Norden, near Rochdale .
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Post by alece10 on Jan 30, 2021 12:24:06 GMT
Was NY filmed there? I love spotting film locations
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Post by oxfordsimon on Jan 30, 2021 12:35:46 GMT
Most of NYC was CGI. Liverpool is often used for US cities so perhaps it was this time
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Post by SuperTrooper on Jan 30, 2021 12:43:37 GMT
the whole sequence where Ollie's character denies HIC was well done. I do realise that it as all editing, but the way it was done, with the group behind him, I thought was quite effective. Speaking to my husband about this scene last last night, I commented how apt it was for the current situation we're in and Jill's comment afterwards, something along the lines of " overthinking/ thinking yourself out of a situation" The panic and lack of information from Gloria's family, "should we be wearing rubber gloves?" and Jill getting rid of the mug, it brought back a memories of the general feeling at the time to not share drinks etc. Then, as now, misinformation and lack of information causes confusion. I have to say the street outside the flat did look like it could be Streatham/Brixton/SE London so the locations have been chosen well. Looking forward to the next episode.
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Post by marob on Jan 30, 2021 13:00:40 GMT
Watching weekly too, really don't think this is something I could watch in one go. As others have said above the bonfire scene at the end was very powerful and upsetting showing how the family wanted to wipe his life out completely. On a lighter note am I guessing right that this is filmed in Manchester and not London? The buildings have those distinctive red bricks you see in Manchester. Channel 4 have a thing at the end of all their own programmes that says generally where they were filmed, in this case they mostly filmed in Manchester. I had a look online last week when I thought New York looked familiar, and saw they used Liverpool (which is actually quite common, even used by Hollywood films.) Tried posting a link but couldn’t get the link to work. It shows here before and after CGI www.liverpoolfilmoffice.tv/made-in-film-liverpool/its-a-sin-channel-4/Also read that the Rhos on Sea front in North Wales was used for the Isle of Wight.
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Post by theatreian on Jan 30, 2021 13:16:56 GMT
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Post by paddy72 on Jan 31, 2021 1:16:23 GMT
Finally gave in today and binged the whole series in one go as was getting frustrated with the first episodes being so dull. I kept thinking it’ll take off any second now. If I’m honest - and with a few exceptions - I found it all a bit blah. Most irritating were the sets, props and costumes which were 60s and 70s rather than the Memphis pop design inspired 80s. Characters didn’t ring true at all for me especially when more interesting figures pop in quickly and are then abandoned. Won’t go there regarding some earlier comments on this being a great history lesson for today. Best bits for me were all the soundtracks which managed to dig up some much loved but forgotten ‘Keep it Capital’ floor fillers. Every track was Abandonment. That was my 80’s. Never want it back.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Jan 31, 2021 8:31:35 GMT
paddy72 wouldn't the set and props be from an earlier period as none of the character or family's have much cash?
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Post by kathryn on Jan 31, 2021 11:10:31 GMT
Uh, real suburban families did not live in Memphis Pop Design houses in the 80s.
High fashion and high concept design always takes a while to filter through into real life. There are no hard decade style cut-off points in reality - no-one chucks all their 1970s clothes and decor out in 1981 for the latest stuff.
Of course the 1980s looked like the 1970s for many real people.
There was a 1980s era fireplace in my front room when I moved into my flat in 2009!
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Post by paddy72 on Jan 31, 2021 12:02:14 GMT
Ford Populars (60s cars) were long gone even by the 70s. Victorian hospitals had been knocked down and replaced by 60s buildings like St Thomas’ and Guys and Gloucester Royal and countess other new NHS and private care hospitals. This was the era of ‘loads of money’ Thatcherism. Real people were living in Barrett houses, watching Brookside, Going Live and Dallas and shopping at Tesco, Next and Habitat. They really were chucking out all their 70s cloths and decor as for the first time they could afford to. Shopping and consumerism were rife as debt was easy and cheap. Even for poor people. We made tea in the mug, drank coffee from carafes and wore Calvins not big old 60s Great Universal catalogue store underpants. I could go on but you’ll get my point. Us real suburban families had more taste and talent that you give us credit for and the thrift, make and mend and get by life lived by the generation before was being shot to pieces by the hedonism of Thatchers children. And if you’re going to tell the story of AIDS that matters. Getting the story set in the right period context should show as its part of understanding what happened and why.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Jan 31, 2021 12:39:21 GMT
The first two episodes (all that I have seen thus far) cover the period of 1980-83 or thereabouts.
Brookside didn't start until November 82. Harry Enfield didn't create 'loadsamoney' until a couple of years later.
The 1980s were not uniform. The most significant changes were not seen until after the 1983 landslide election.
Things were tough for many suburban and urban communities up and down the country. We didn't all become yuppies as soon as the 70s were over.
So from my recollection of those times, things in the first two episodes do feel pretty accurate in terms of the aesthetics, the costumes and set dressing.
I can't comment on the final 3 episodes until I have seen them. So perhaps things went wrong later on. But as a depiction of the first third of the 80s, episodes 1 and 2 are a pretty decent representation.
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Post by marob on Jan 31, 2021 13:01:56 GMT
I rented a bunch of Russell T Davies’ old shows on DVD years ago, back before Lovefilm got bought and closed down by Amazon. I remember seeing a bit on one of them where he was talking about the production design and how he doesn’t like things to look too designed, saying people in real life accumulate things over many years, so stuff is kind of mismatched and not necessarily the latest trend. I think the example he used was mugs, i.e. you buy a set, you drop one or two, you buy some more, but you don’t fling out all the originals.
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Post by alece10 on Jan 31, 2021 15:31:19 GMT
I moved away from my parents home in 1977 to live in London and then spent the whole of the 80s living abroad. When I returned to the UK in 1991 my parents home looked exactly the same as it had in the 70s. In fact the spare room in my dad's bungalow still has some items that I had bought for my bedroom in the 70s like a MFI white bedside table, a white fur 3 legged stool and a standard lamp with the original pink bulb that still works. So, no, not all peoples decor reflects the decade we are in.
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