When Jill Nalder arrived at drama school in London in the early 1980s, she was ready for her life to begin. With her band of best friends – of which many were young, talented gay men with big dreams of their own – she grabbed London by the horns: partying with drag queens at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, hosting cabarets at her glamorous flat, flitting across town to any jobs she could get.

But soon rumours were spreading from America about a frightening illness being dubbed the ‚gay flu‘, and Jill and her friends now found their formerly carefree existence under threat.

In this moving memoir, Jill Nalder tells the true story of her and her friends‘ lives during the AIDS crisis — juggling a busy West End career while campaigning for AIDS awareness and research, educating herself and caring for the sick. Most of all, she shines a light on those who were stigmatised and shamed, and remembers those brave and beautiful boys who were lost too soon.

Jill Nalder is a successful West End actress and was the inspiration behind Jill Baxter’s character in Russell T. Davies‘ series“It’s a Sin“ about the Aids crisis in London in the 80s. I She was also one of the founders and first chairperson of West End Cares, now called Theatre MAD: Make A Difference. To date the charity has raised over £10 million for HIV/AIDS
Wildfire Publishing London 2022