Russell T Davies honors late friend who inspired It’s a Sin

It’s a Sin creator Russell T Davies is making us cry again. The legendary queer showrunner has penned a touching tribute to a late friend who provided inspiration for the world of It’s a Sin.

In the 2021 miniseries, five friends move into a flat they christen “The Pink Palace” in 1981, just before onset of the AIDS crisis. From there, the series tracks the group over the course of a decade as they live their lives earnestly in spite of the pandemic.

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It turns out there was a real-life Pink Palace, co-founded by Phil Lewis, known to friends as Pinky.

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“The wonderful Pinky has died, what a loss. The lovely Phil Lewis,” Davies wrote on Instagram. 

“When I joined my Youth Theatre @wgytc in the 70s, Pinky and his gang were camp, hilarious, wise and brilliant. Camp became a way for us to express who we really are,” Davies said. “Welsh camp too, the best!”

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Their camp achieved its highest expression in the London flat they soon rented. “Pinky moved to London with [Jill Nalder] and [Jae Alexander] where they founded the Pink Palace, and Pinky went on to become a much-loved drag queen in Brighton.”

Although they fell out of touch, their bond never withered with time. “I didn’t see him for decades – though I heard the stories!,” Davies recalled. “But we all met up recently, and my God, we laughed. Like I’d seen him yesterday.”

Jill Nalder, one of the Pink Palace’s founders and the inspiration for the character Jill (Lydia West) on It’s a Sin, has opened up about how the real-life flat was a vehicle for freedom.

“I did live in the Pink Palace, me and a few other people who might be listening who lived in the Pink Palace, which was a fabulous flat to find in London in the 80s,” Nalder told GayTimes.

“There was a lot going on, it was a massive freedom for people who came from small communities where there was no tolerance of their lifestyle.”

After offering condolences to Lewis’ partner, friends and family, Davies concluded his tribute with a message that likely only Lewis would understand. “I hope a mysterious woman in a big hat turns up at his funeral, he’d be delighted,” he said. “Night, Pinky darling.”