In a new commission by BBC Radio 2 for BBC Sounds, The Showstopper will be available from 19 March featuring Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey.

40 years ago the HIV virus, and the resulting disease AIDS, were named. It devastated people’s lives all over the world, including bringing immeasurable heartbreak to the theatre community of Broadway and the West End.

Theatre, however, became a voice of awareness, rebelling against the stigma present at the time. There were plays, one-man performances and musicals highlighting the disease and its effect on people, spreading messages of hope and support and helping to quash hurtful and misleading information.

In this programme, actor Jonathan Bailey, who performed as a child in Les Miserables in the West End at the time, tells the story of HIV/AIDS impact on the theatre community, and tells how this community supported those affected. This documentary includes powerful stories from those at the heart of the theatre community at the time, including producers Cameron Mackintosh and Nick Allott, lyricist Tim Rice and Musical Director Jae Alexander, alongside performers such as actor and activist Jill Nalder (Les Miserables, Oliver!), Claire Moore (The Phantom of the Opera), Craig Revel Horwood, Stifyn Parri (Les Miserables, Brookside), and Make A Difference charity’s Melanie Tranter.

For more information, please click here.