A new BBC Sounds podcast, narrated by singer-songwriter Sam Smith, focuses on the life of Terrence Higgins and a range of other peoples’ stories whose lives have been impacted by AIDS.
“Terry became famous for how he died, but he was a person who lived.”
On 4 July 1982, at just 37 years old, Terrence Higgins – Terry to his friends, became one of the first people in the UK to die of an AIDS related illness.
Just a few weeks after Terry’s funeral, his boyfriend at the time, Rupert got together with a group of friends who decided they needed to do something about what was happening due to this new illness, particularly because of what had happened to Terry. They decided to form a charity – The Terry Higgins Trust, which later became The Terrence Higgins Trust and it is now one of the leading HIV charities in the world.
This eight-part series of A Positive Life: HIV from Terrence Higgins to Today, explores the last 40 years of HIV in the UK. Starting by uncovering the little-known story of Terry Higgins’ life – a Welsh boy who grew up in Haverfordwest, joined the navy, and eventually moved to London where he worked for Hansard, for newspapers, and DJ’d at the iconic bars and nightclubs of London’s gay scene.
The podcast goes on to examine how life with HIV has drastically changed since the AIDS crisis of the 80s and 90s. This is an illness that can affect anybody, but disproportionately impacts people from marginalised communities.
Listeners will hear people from many walks of life who helped fight for the treatments that changed the face of HIV – and people who are now fighting to end stigma, and make sure no one is left behind, working towards a future with no new transmissions, and long, healthy lives for everyone living with HIV.
A Positive Life: HIV from Terrence Higgins to Today will be available on BBC Sounds from Friday 1 July.
