Russell T Davies reveals It’s A Sin script detail that couldn’t be shown on screen

Russell T Davies has revealed a surprising detail from his script for the groundbreaking drama It’s A Sin that couldn’t be shown on screen.

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Speaking during a panel discussion celebrating the show as part of the BFI & Radio Times Television Festival, Davies explained how the memorable scene that sees Omari Douglas’ character Roscoe leave home was deliberately written to take place on a specific date.

“There’s a nice detail in the script that we could never put on screen,” he explained. “There was no way of doing it. But the scene where Roscoe leaves home, where he faces his parents and tells them to find him at 23 P**s Off Avenue London W F**k and he walks out into the rain – that is the day that Beyonce was born. There’s no way of saying that on screen, but it was the fourth of September 1981.”

“Roscoe was doing the groundwork for Beyonce basically,” Douglas added.

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Speaking more specifically about that scene, Douglas explained why he thought the character’s choice of language when addressing his family worked so well in the script.

“It felt like that kind of thing, I don’t know why I just sort of was reminded of when you’re young and you just suddenly feel like that you’ve got this urge to –even though you shouldn’t – to kind of like stand up to your elders,” he said.

“And something comes out, and it might not necessarily be the most eloquent thing, but you just say it anyway. It could be a bit awkward and horrible, it sort of felt like that.”

“That’s why 23 P**s Off Avenue London W F**k is important,” added Davies. “Because all he’s done is watch television, and that’s the Blue Peter address – that’s the BBC address that every day you send your letters to, London W12 8QT.

“So he’s had 18 years of that, so he turns that on its head and turns it into a swear word. So he’s owning everything, that’s what he’s doing.”

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It’s A Sin is available to stream on All 4. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight. 

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