Sam Smith explores Terry Higgins' life in 1970s and 80s London. His closest friends remember his unforgettable character, and a community on the edge of the AIDS crisis.
Like many queer people of his generation, Terry Higgins moved from his small hometown to a big city. In London, Terry found a thriving gay nightlife scene, a supportive community of friends, and a place he could be free.
But in 1982, rumours of a "gay cancer" started to emerge from the USA. And Terry suddenly fell ill.
Sam Smith learns from some of Terry's closest friends and loved ones about his remarkable character and approach to life - including Rupert Whitaker, Terry's partner at the time of his death, and fellow Welshman Martyn Butler, who would subsequently found the Terrence Higgins Trust with Rupert and others.
In "A Positive Life", singer Sam Smith presents stories of HIV in the UK over the last forty years. They hear from people who remember the earliest years of the AIDS crisis; the grassroots activists and marginalised communities who came together to fight stigma and raise public awareness; and a new generation living with effective treatments for HIV in a radically-changed world.
An Overcoat Media production for BBC Sounds
Producer: Arlie Adlington Assistant Producer: Emma Goswell Executive Producer: Steven Rajam Sound Mixing: Mike Woolley