For some, it has been a painful watch.

The hit, five-part Channel 4 series - It’s a Sin - shines a light on the 1980s Aids crisis, following the lives of a group of friends in London.

Some of them fall victim to the disease and the suspicion and prejudice that surrounded it.

The show, which has attracted 6.5m viewers, has made viewers laugh - and cry - in equal measure.

But it has also had an influential impact on HIV testing.

Sophie Milner, service manager at sexual health charity, Terrence Higgins Trust in Essex, said: “HIV has changed a huge amount since It’s A Sin thanks to amazing progress in preventing, testing for and treating HIV.

“We’re thrilled this series is motivating people to act and order a free HIV test to do at home, which is small enough to go through a letter box and delivered in plain packaging.

“It’s important to make sure that people know the realities of HIV so that they’re not scared to test. That’s work we’re proud to do in Southend and I tell everyone I speak to – even on Zoom – that HIV has changed.”

The Terrence Higgins Trust is campaigning for HIV testing to be made standard practice.

Southend’s deputy mayor, Conservative councillor Mark Flewitt, said: “For me, It’s A Sin has been a brilliant piece of writing by Russell T Davies.

“It’s reflecting how the LGBT - without the Q in those days - community had a tsunami heading towards them called Aids.

“It’s A Sin has hit the nail on the head. It’s not just been entertaining, it’s been highly educational and its caused awareness which is so important.

“As critical as overcoming Covid is, we’ve got to remember we’re going to have a post-Covid time soon we all hope and were going to have to return to all the usual issues that troubled us before Covid.

“It’s A Sin has put up a huge marker that says don’t forget HIV, don’t let it take off again after all the work people around the world have put in.

“I would encourage young men and women to get tested to ensure their sexual health is good. It’s incredibly important to do that.”

Support for the show comes as figures have revealed how many people have been diagnosed late with HIV, leading to calls urging people to not be “scared to test”.

Data from 2017 to 2019 shows that out of 30 people aged 15 and over who tested positive for HIV in Southend, 16 were diagnosed late.

Out of 132 people aged 15 and over who tested positive for HIV in Essex, 60 received a late diagnosis between 2017 and 2019.

In Essex, the rate of new HIV diagnosis was five cases per 100,000 people aged 15 and over in 2019.

This was below the average in the country of eight per 100,000.

Basildon mayor David Burton-Sampson said: “It’s A Sin was a brilliantly, sensitive piece of work that really highlights the terrible struggle the gay community in particular went through in the 80’s and early 90’s when HIV was a death sentence to almost all who were diagnosed with it. “Today, thanks to the wonders of modern medicine it is no longer that death sentence with many HIV positive individuals living a normal life and there are even drugs that can be taken to stop spreading the virus on to someone else.

“It is great that awareness levels have risen, and people need to recognise that this is not an illness that just impacts gay men, anyone can catch it.

“So, I would encourage everyone not to be fearful but get a test and if it is positive then there is plenty of support to help you through.”