RISING TALENT: ‘I'D SUMMON THE BOYS TO MY TRAILER EVERY MORNING AND WE'D DANCE'

LYDIA WEST THE BREAKOUT STAR OF IT’S A SIN TELLS OK! HOW SHE AND HER CO-STARS DID ‘EVERYTHING THEY COULD’ TO GET THROUGH FILMING THE DEVASTATING DRAMA

- ADAM TANSWELL

There’s a reason why everyone’s talking about Channel 4’s emotionally charged drama It’s A Sin. Set in London in the 1980s, the tragic story of five housemates navigating the perils of the growing AIDS crisis is unmissable viewing and has made overnight stars of some of the supremely talented young cast.

The standout is Lydia West, who plays the sole female flatmate, Jill. No spoilers here for those who are watching weekly (the series is also available to binge on All 4), but Jill is undoubtedly an icon for the ages – a kind and caring ally to the LGBTQ community, who stands by her gay friends no matter what.

We caught up with 27-year-old Lydia – whose TV debut was on Years And Years in 2019, also penned by It’s A Sin writer Russell T Davies – to find out about the huge, warm reaction to Jill and how she and her co-stars, including Olly Alexander and Callum Scott Howells, let loose on set.

Lydia, congratulations on the success of the show! Did you ever think it was going to be as massive as this?

The reaction has been everything we’d hoped it would be. It’s been incredible. At the start of the shoot, we all knew how much of a special project it would be and how much it would mean to people. We also knew how important it would be to tell this story.

How does it feel to be part of something so popular?