16 episodes
Love, Loss & Life: Real Stories From The AIDS Pandemic National HIV Story Trust
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A podcast series from the National HIV Story Trust, the charity telling the story of HIV and AIDS in Britain. Presenting a perspective of the crisis in the 1980s and 1990s through the lives of a diverse set of individuals, this series recognises the true tragedy of HIV and AIDS, and shares tender stories of love, unending compassion, and the unity of a disparate community in the face of a global crisis.
Introduced by Anita Dobson and voiced by actors Christopher Ashman, Elexi Walker, and Kay Eluvian, the series features stories taken from NHST’s first book, a collection of essays, reflections, and testimonies also entitled ‘Love, Loss & Life’ which was published in 2021. The book and podcast series feature in short-form just some of the moving and tragic recollections that the NHST archive of over 100 filmed interviews, currently housed at the London Metropolitan Archive, capture in expansive detail. This extensive archive provides a 360-degree thought-provoking view of the AIDS pandemic in Britain through the real-life experiences of those who were there. Since 2015, over 120 interviews have been filmed with survivors, family members, friends, advocates, and medical professionals candidly remembering their personal experiences. Through archiving these films at the LMA, and sharing the stories collected through education, media, and art projects, NHST’s mission is to preserve the story the HIV and AIDS pandemic for those who know it, and to teach it for the first time to those who do not.
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Andrew Keates: Real Stories from the AIDS Pandemic
Andrew Keates grew up in Dorset and realized he was gay at 13. He loves the theater and is now an award-winning director. Some of his productions have been performed in the West End, including 'As Is', 'Dessa Rose', and 'Dark Sublime'. In 2018, he received the 'Young Achiever of the Year Award' for his success in theater and his work raising awareness about HIV and under-represented communities.Andrew felt let down by the lack of education about HIV and the absence of gay role models when he ...
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Dr Rupert Whitaker: Real Stories from the AIDS Pandemic
Dr. Rupert Whitaker is a remarkable individual who has shown extraordinary resilience as one of the longest survivors of HIV. He has been a strong advocate for people with HIV and other long-term illnesses for over 40 years. Disability, mental illness, and age-related issues persist for many living with HIV, despite medication advances. Dr. Whitaker believes that the LGBTQ+ community should take action to improve support and healthcare for those in need, emphasising that it should focus ...
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Love, Loss & Life: Real Stories from the AIDS Pandemic: Rupert Everett
Acclaimed actor and national treasure Rupert Everett describes the excitement of his youth when he first encountered the gay scene in London. Rupert Everett's full story can be found in the NHST archive, but in this story he reveals his deepest fears as he became aware of a stalking "vampire" haunting the gay bars and clubs in the US and UK, and tells how AIDS was a 'time-bomb waiting to explode'.Enjoying the podcast series? Please let us know by clicking on this link. We love it when t...
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Love, Loss & Life: Real Stories from the AIDS Pandemic: Arnold Gordon
Blackliners grew out of a realisation that there were no organisations dealing with HIV that catered specifically for the black community, with the result that many HIV+ black people in the UK felt side-lined. Arnold describes the role the charity played in raising awareness and supporting the black community in various ways.Enjoying the podcast series? Please let us know by clicking on this link. We love it when these important stories get heard. This podcast series features stories taken fr...
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Love, Loss & Life: Real Stories from the AIDS Pandemic: Lord Fowler
As Minister of Health in the mid-1980s, Lord Fowler found himself at odds with Margaret Thatcher and other members of the Cabinet over how much attention should be paid to the AIDS pandemic. Some neat political manoeuvring enabled him to run a memorable public health campaign which made the nation aware that HIV and AIDS could affect anyone.Enjoying the podcast series? Please let us know by clicking on this link. We love it when these important stories get heard. This podcast series features ...
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Love, Loss & Life: Real Stories from the AIDS Pandemic: Barbara von Barsewisch
Barbara von Barsewisch trained as a nurse in London in the early 1990s and worked on Broderip Ward, the HIV ward at the Middlesex Hospital, for ten years. She went on to work at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in the Kobler Day Care Unit, where she developed an expertise in caring for patients with AIDS-related cancers, especially lymphomas. Caring for patients with AIDS in the 1990s was a nursing experience unlike any other. It was a time when the rule book went out of the window and so...