_JILL MET THE CRISIS HEAD ON . . . SHE HELD THE HANDS OF SO MANY MEN.
SHE LOST THEM, AND __REMEMBERED THEM, AND SOMEHOW KEPT GOING_. –
RUSSELL T DAVIES, CREATOR OF _IT’S A SIN_.
When Jill Nalder arrived at drama school in London in the early 1980s,
she was ready for her life to begin. With her band of best friends –
of which many were young, talented gay men with big dreams of their
own – she grabbed London by the horns: partying with drag queens at
the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, hosting cabarets at her glamorous flat,
flitting across town to any jobs could get.
But soon rumours were spreading from America about a frightening
illness being dubbed the ‘gay flu’ and Jill and her friends –
spirited Juan Pablo, Jae with his beautiful voice, upbeat Dursley, and
many others – now found their formerly carefree existence under
threat.
In this moving memoir, Jill Nalder – the inspiration behind _It’s
A Sin_‘s Jill Baxter – tells the true story of her life during the
AIDS crisis, and that of friends and colleagues, doctors and nurses,
activists and fundraisers. She recounts juggling a busy West End
career while campaigning for AIDS awareness and research, educating
herself and caring for the sick. Most of all, she shines a light on
those who were stigmatised and shamed, and remembers those brave and
beautiful boys who were lost too soon.
Join us for a rare opportunity to hear from the real woman behind Jill
Baxter and the stories which shaped Russel T Davies’ brilliant,
heart-wrenching, award-winning series _It’s A Sin_.
