Olly Alexander is "moved" to see a rise in HIV testing following 'It's a Sin'.

Olly Alexander in It's A Sin

Olly Alexander in It's A Sin

The Years & Years frontman stars as gay aspiring singer-and-actor Ritchie Tozer in the Channel 4 series, written and created by Russell T Davies, that follows a group of friends through the 1980s AIDs crisis, and he has been "amazed" by the "real-time response to the show" and to see more people getting tested.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, he said: "I'm trying not to cry. 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 comes after Olly urged people to get tested as part of National HIV Testing Week.

In a video posted to 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."

And it has also been revealed that 'It's A Sin' has led to a rise in calls for HIV home testing kits, with Daniel Browne, chairman of Warwickshire Pride, confirming this was the case in his local area.

He told Coventry Live: "People are talking about it more, people are sharing their experiences, people are being educated and I know there has been an increase in the people asking for HIV home testing kits ... I know that there have been a lot more conversations about it in our support groups, I know that a lot of parents have been talking to their now older children about it, their experiences, what it was like, having watched the programme. There has been some real good come out of this programme, I hope that the conversation and education continues."

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