AIDS: The Unheard Tapes Final (BBC Two Monday 11 July 2022)

The final episode in the series. The first medication thought to extend the lives of people with HIV infections is heralded as a potential “miracle cure” in a blaze of optimism.

Trials have started, and expectations are high. A large number of those taking part in the trials, however, quickly develop severe and incapacitating side effects. In 1993, the findings of the unsuccessful AZT trials are made public, which leads to backlash against pharmaceutical companies and occasionally the medical professionals who care for AIDS patients.

Many in the gay and HIV communities begin to take further action for themselves, and a wave of revolutionary activism and direct action builds momentum. Complementary therapies and quack cures are tried, as those living with HIV longer term attempt to stave off AIDS-defining illnesses.

Infections are rising further outside of the gay community; women are significantly affected, and turn to the now-established community groups for help. Stigma and fear are still deeply ingrained in the way the public reacts to the virus.

The stories of men including John, Jeremy and Tony, recorded at the time, bring these experiences to life. Their real voices are lip-synced by actors, giving first-hand insight into their lives at the time. They trail-blaze through self-care and activism, finding agency and helping others to find their voice. Ultimately, they begin to face the inevitability of their decline and deaths.

Peak deaths are reached, and hospitals and hospices have to work together to cope with the numbers of patients who need palliative care. Behind the scenes, trials have been taking place with combinations of different drugs, though each is eventually resisted by the evolving virus that is HIV.

In 1995, a final element called a protease inhibitor is developed, and completes the drug combination that finally proves successful in managing HIV. A treatment has been discovered, against all the odds, for those who can access it. In Britain’s hospitals, patients responding well to these new medications experience ‘the Lazarus effect’ – leaving their hospital beds to face unexpected futures.

Airdate: Monday 11 July 2022 at 9.00pm on BBC Two.

Season 1 Episode 3