Will & Gloria once again delve into the British newspaper archives and attempt to unpick the real stories, of real people behind the sensational and attention-grabbing headlines of the 80s and 90s AIDS pandemic.

When London dentist Vikram Advani died of AIDS-related complications in 1993. Every major newspaper up and down the land seized the opportunity to vilify and stigmatise his good name and besmirch his reputation as a dentist and the memory of those closest to him.

Mr Advani’s former lover and loyal friend Dr Keith Watts, also diagnosed HIV positive and later dying of AIDS-related complications attempted to set the record straight by sharing his story in a major tabloid.

Will & Gloria also step back to 1987 and the reporting of the UKs first AIDS-related hospital ward, the Broderip Ward at London’s Middlesex Hospital.

All articles and relevant documents from this episode are available on the:

XTRA Tea Blog - Vikram Advani

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Music / Instrumental by Aries Beats 'A Sin' + WEBSITE

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Third-party media: Used under 'fair use' for the sole purpose of education, criticism and/or research relating to HIV/AIDS.

• British Newspaper Archives / Newspapers
• ITV/ITN News Channel

Will & Gloria once again delve into the British newspaper archives and attempt to unpick the real stories, of real people behind the sensational and attention-grabbing headlines of the 80s and 90s AIDS pandemic. Featured in this episode is prisoner Del Sinclair, by his own admission had a string on convictions behind him. In 1985 he was featured in a national newspaper declaring he intended to ‘go straight’ and even publish a book on Prison food with a working title ‘The Good? Prison Food Guide’. However, 4 weeks later back on remand he routinely tested HIV positive and faced threats of violence from other inmates.

Other articles covered are those of a highly regarded Home Office pathologist refusing to carry out a post-mortem on a young man for merely “suspecting” the young man had AIDS. Another national newspaper ‘outs’ another man as being gay and being the 38th person in the UK to die of AIDS. Then in 1987 two gay men from Soho, London said to be “friends” were also denied a post-mortem when they died 3 weeks apart.

All articles and relevant documents from this episode are available on the:

XTRA Tea Blog - Del Sinclair

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Music / Instrumental by Aries Beats 'A Sin' + WEBSITE

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Third-party media: Used under 'fair use' for the sole purpose of education, criticism and/or research relating to HIV/AIDS.

• British Newspaper Archives / Newspapers

Will & Gloria delve into the British newspaper archives and attempt to unpick the real stories, of real people behind the sensational and attention-grabbing headlines of the 80s and 90s AIDS pandemic. Featured in this episode is the moving story of a 25-year-old man from Portsmouth, Paul Somes who died in Police custody in 1987.

Two national newspapers published articles devoid of any sympathy and instead chose to vilify and humiliate Paul for being an "AIDS sufferer" [living with HIV] before the entire nation. Will & Gloria seek to find any surviving family to give Paul a voice, perhaps share what happened, and a greater insight into what Paul was actually like.

All articles and relevant documents from this episode are available on the:

XTRA Tea Blog - Paul Somes

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Music / Instrumental by Aries Beats 'A Sin' + WEBSITE

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Third-party media: Used under 'fair use' for the sole purpose of education, criticism and/or research relating to HIV/AIDS.

• British Newspaper Archives / Newspapers

Before delving into the British newspaper archives and their reporting of the AIDS pandemic in the 80s and 90s. Will & Gloria first spill the tea’ on the press of today and ask why the gay media particularly, remained silent when asked to support the official UK Government HIV Stigma Petition.

XTRA TEA BLOG POST: The HIV Stigma Petition

The HIV Podcast

AIDS 1987 Monolith 'Falling Tombstone' TV Campaign UK

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Music / Instrumental by Aries Beats 'A Sin' + WEBSITE

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Third-party media: Used under 'fair use' for the sole purpose of education, criticism and/or research.

• UK Government Public Health - AIDS Monolith TV Advert ft. John Hurt 1987
• TikTok Article by Pink News 2024

Gloria spills the tea with author William Hampson on World AIDS Day 2023. They discuss his experience of HIV stigma over the last three years and why he started a UK government petition calling for the government to 'finish what it started' after being silent for almost 40 years since the 1987 AIDS tombstone campaign. And asks why the gay/LGBT media has been unwilling to cover the petition?

SIGN THE HIV PETITION: Launch a campaign on HIV to tell the public that Undetectable = Untransmittable - Petitions (parliament.uk)

THE HIV PODCAST: Don't Die of Ignorance - the leaflet - The HIV Podcast | Acast

JET2HOLIDAY ADVERT: Jet2holidays Younger Couples TV Advert - September 2018 - YouTube

UK GOV 1987 AIDS TOMBSTONE ADVERT AIDS - Monolith (1987, UK) - YouTube

THT SCOTLAND ADVERT 2023 Stigma is more harmful than HIV (TV advertisement) - YouTube

NOVEMBER RAIN 1989 by Ivor. Full story on Kevin's instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CZJ-nOxIb2L/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=ODhhZWM5NmIwOQ==

Gloria gets Will to spill the tea on his working relationship with the actual ‘Lost Boys’ of Soho. And in an added surprise Gloria and Will find themselves hosting ‘The Shadey’s’, the shadiest awards on the airwaves.

Gloria invites Will around for tea and cake and talks about his and ‘Lost Boy’ Adam's working relationship. Will and Adam initially get along well until Adam accuses Will of being Covid-19 positive at work. Their working relationship takes a dramatic nose dive when Will insists on proving his covid-19 status.

Gloria invites Will around for a brew and talks about his and ‘Lost Boy’ Jack’s relationship. Will talks about how his HIV diagnosis was delivered over the phone and the colleague who blackmailed him to either quit his job or be exposed as living with “AIDS” [HIV]. Gloria talks about that moment on the sofa and how it gave Gloria “fanny flutters”