Russell T Davies Returns to Channel 4 with The Boys

Channel 4 has lined up The Boys, a five-part series written by Russell T Davies (Queer as Folk, A Very English Scandal, Cucumber) set in the 1980s.

Produced by RED Production Company, the series will tell the story of three boys—Ritchie, Roscoe and Colin—across the decade. It follows them leaving home at 18 and heading off to London in 1981 with hope, ambition and joy—and walking straight into a plague that most of the world ignores: AIDS.

The Boys is the tenth collaboration between Davies and RED Production Company.

Davies said: “I lived through those times, and it’s taken me decades to build up to this. And as time marches on, there’s a danger the story will be forgotten. So it’s an honor to write this for the ones we lost, and the ones who survived.”

Lee Mason, commissioning editor for Channel 4, added: “Nearly 20 years after the glorious Queer as Folk left an indelible mark on British TV and changed the pop culture landscape forever, I am thrilled Russell is back on Channel 4 with The Boys. It’s an incredibly important project that feels just as landmark, just as uncompromising, and just as heartfelt.”

Nicola Shindler, founder and executive producer of RED Production Company, said: “I’m thrilled to be working with Channel 4 and Russell again on this incredibly poignant and enthralling story. It’s full of what we’ve come to expect from Russell—a powerful but heart-warming story that highlights both the emotional fragility and strength of human nature, delivered through engaging and complex characters. The 1980’s AIDS epidemic was a deadly and uncertain period of time, and The Boys tells the human story behind the headlines.”