{"id":29932,"date":"2023-02-08T16:47:07","date_gmt":"2023-02-08T15:47:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1782245"},"modified":"2023-02-08T23:02:18","modified_gmt":"2023-02-08T22:02:18","slug":"terrence-higgins-trust-zack-hudsons-eastenders-hiv-storyline-will-inspire-change","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/terrence-higgins-trust-zack-hudsons-eastenders-hiv-storyline-will-inspire-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Terrence Higgins Trust: \u2018Zack Hudson\u2019s EastEnders HIV storyline will inspire change\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ian Green, Chief Executive of Terrence Higgins Trust, writes about the huge impact of EastEnders\u2019 HIV storylines in 1991 and again today.\u00a0 <\/p>

By Helen Daly\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 08 February 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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TV soaps have a long, long history of reaching millions in a way that no leaflet or public health campaign ever could.<\/p>\n

A groundbreaking example of this was Mark Fowler\u2019s HIV diagnosis in EastEnders<\/a> back in 1991, with mum Pauline muttering: \u201cYou\u2019ve got AIDS\u2026\u201d providing that Boxing Day\u2019s doof doof moment.<\/p>\n

This was the start of what became a decade-long HIV storyline for the drama to raise desperately needed awareness, show the realities of HIV in the 1990s and, as importantly, to humanise the virus through one of its most beloved characters in one of its most established families.<\/p>\n

Now, more than 30 years later, EastEnders is doing the same again and working with us at Terrence Higgins Trust again too. And it\u2019s great timing because since all the awareness raising done three decades ago, there\u2019s been huge progress \u2013 which means awareness needs to be raised all over again. With some more doof doof moments very overdue.<\/p>

That\u2019s because incredible medication now means you can live a long, healthy life with HIV. Doof doof.<\/em><\/p>\n

People living with HIV can and do have children who are HIV-negative. Doof doof.<\/em><\/p>\n

Effective treatment means you can\u2019t pass HIV on to partners. Not might not, or probably won\u2019t, but can\u2019t<\/em> pass it on. Doof<\/em> doof doof doof<\/em> doof doof.<\/em><\/p>\n

The 2023 version of Mark\u2019s storyline sees \u2018resident hunk\u2019 Zack Hudson (played by actor James Farrar) diagnosed with HIV<\/a>. Like Mark, Zack is heterosexual and a central character as Sharon\u2019s half-brother and Whitney\u2019s on-off boyfriend.<\/p>\n

Zack being straight is particularly timely as the latest stats show a 41 per cent fall in straight men testing for HIV compared to 2019 \u2013 mostly likely one of many impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic \u2013 while this group is also one of the most likely to be diagnosed late, with 63 per cent of heterosexual men diagnosed in 2021 finding out they\u2019re HIV positive at a late stage.<\/p>\n

So, while the storyline is about awareness raising (and, of course, being dramatic and entertaining), it\u2019s also about inspiring action. And now\u2019s the perfect time as National HIV Testing Week continues, with loads of opportunities to get tested \u2013 including by ordering a free HIV test kit to do at home with a result in just 15 minutes.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s particularly exciting about a HIV storyline in a soap is that they don\u2019t just do the diagnosis and immediate aftermath like a single episode arc in Casualty or a three-part drama. They show the days, weeks, months and years that follow. Which means they can show the initial trauma and stigma \u2013 but then also the education, the understanding and the processing.<\/p>\n

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