Author: Tim Baros

RESTAURANT REVIEW | Romulo Cafe, London

★★★★★| Romulo Cafe, London

There are many undiscovered restaurant gems in London, but I’ve found one that will perhaps not be undiscovered for very much longer.

Romulo Cafe, a restaurant that is a taste of the Philippines in the heart of Kensington (and London), has food that I guarantee you can’t find anywhere else in London. It’s Filipino food that is unique, flavorful, sumptuous and excellent value for the money. But don’t let the name fool you – Romulo Cafe is not really a cafe but a proper restaurant, beautifully designed and perfectly replicates Filipino food and culture, filled with the Romulo family history of General Carlos P. Romulo, hence you feel like you are in his home, with great staff who take care of you like you are family.

But the food – wow the food – it’s just incredible, and at times indescribable. Romulo food is full of recipes passed down from generation to generation, and in Filipino style, sharing is the tradition. But I didn’t want to share the Sizzling Chicken Inasal Sisig – Jack Brand Diced Chicken thighs marinated in annatto sauce, ginger, green chilli, garlic, and lemongrass. Arriving sizzling to your table, it’s the aroma that hits you first – it’s a mix of sweet, nuts and pepper (annatto) – and a dish that has a perfect balance of all ingredients all in harmony – and was simply delicious. My dining companion and I were just simply amazed at how good it was! We carried on with more sharing plates – including the Dingley Dell Pork Belly Adobo which is slow-cooked in soy sauce, garlic and cane vinegar, and this too was simply delicious. Five large pieces of pork swimming in the sauce which tasted a bit like bbq, with a mixture of different coloured potatoes – this is a main course in itself – and so so good. Also so so good was the Kensington Fried Chicken. Four large pieces perfectly cooked (they are marinated with Romulo’s very own adobo mayonnaise and catsup sauce), and nice and brown on the outside, white on the inside, and crunchy. They are just the best! And best of all is that these dishes are great value at less than £8.75 each! Yes, excellent value.

We, of course, had to have rice with our meal, and the large Garlic Fried Rice was just absolutely perfect, with only a hint of garlic which made the ride back home with my friend bearable! We were also suggested to try the Young Jackfruit and Coconut Stew as our vegetable. It was plentiful and was a liquid-like stew with loads of jackfruit, green beans with a small number of chillies but it was the sauce that made the dish absolutely amazing!

And now on to the desserts. I can’t recommend enough the Banana Turon. It’s five banana fritters served warm with a side of toffee sauce. A fritter is, if you don’t know, made in the shape of a spring roll in a hard pastry shell – and inside was the best part-baked banana and jackfruit – for an absolutely yummy experience. Wow! And on the side is jackfruit ice cream – yes, it’s too much but I ate them all! We also had to try the Ube Cheesecake (ube is purple yam, hence the cheesecake is purple) with a graham cracker crust, topped with coconut and served with ice cream – exotic colour and a good flavour! And we also had the Sans Rival – a hard dessert made with dulce de leche and buttercream, cashews, chewy and sweet meringue – while good it did not, and could not, match the cheesecake nor the Banana Turon (which is a steal at £5).

And I can’t finish this review off without mentioning Imelda’s High Heels cocktail. It’s strong (thanks to the Stolichnaya Vodka) with strawberry puree, Crème de Framboise, Crème de Mure and topped with Prosecco. And the kicker – it’s served in a high heel shoe! Ha! Also recommended is the Pinoy Mai Tai – a rum drink with Amaretto, Gran Marnier and pineapple – and it comes in a flaming (literally) Tiki mug! Don’t do what I did and panic and blow it out – let it burn, it’s part of the experience.

Romulo Cafe is also a cafe in front, and there is a private dining room downstairs with a bar and karaoke machine, and the venue is licensed for both marriages and civil ceremonies.

And the experience of eating at Romulo Café is an excellent one. It’s not just the food but the history of the restaurant, which is in the family name Romulo. In 2009, The Romulo family opened up its first cafe in Manila to celebrate the legacy of grandfather General Carlos P. Romulo. The London restaurant honours his memory with a large photo of him (and one of his wife) in the dining room. Meanwhile, their grandfather’s tastes were legend, and cultivated during years following a distinguished war career when he served as Philippine Ambassador to the United States, as President of the United Nations General Assembly (his signature is on the UN charter) and finally as the longest-serving Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines. He was also the first and only Filipino to win a Pulitzer Prize and awarded the highest American civilian award, Medal of Freedom. And he loved food, and Romulo cafe London is a fitting tribute to his memory, with its extremely delicious food, nice and friendly staff, very comfortable surroundings, and a warm welcome from owners Rowena and her husband Chris – the nicest people this side of the river. Romulo Cafe is just simply a perfect place.

Romulo Café London,
343 Kensington High Street
London, W8 6NW
020 3141 6390
www.romulocafe.co.uk

6th August 2019
RESTAURANT REVIEW | Pasta Nostra, London

★★★★ | Pasta Nostra, London

Excellent tasting homemade pasta and very very reasonable prices? It’s Pasta Nostra.

Only open for a couple of months, Pasta Nostra, located on a strip of Old Street between the station and Goswell Road, in an area that sorely needs good and good valued places to eat, is a welcome addition to the neighbourhood.

It’s not a very big restaurant (though in the summer there is a conveniently locatedoutdoor space right next door), but the food is big – taste, portion and enjoyment! I highly recommend the Orecchiette dish. The pasta, in the shape of a very small ear, is green in colour because it is basil pesto and green beans mixed with potato. It’s absolutely delicious, and at £8 for a reasonably nice-sized dish, is a starter-priced but main course fulfilment! The Pappardelle – 12-hour braised oxtail and tomatoes, is also absolutely delicious, with the ragu lamb amazingly tasty and tender, the pasta fresh fresh fresh, and not too cheesy parmesan – perfectly priced at £12.

The starters are also amazingly reasonably priced – so we decided to order three of them. The best of the three was the Watermelon, Mint and Feta Salad. At £5, it was a steal as there was plenty of watermelon while the mint gave it a zing, and just enough Feta to not overpower the watermelon. Excellent! Also worthy was the selection (9 slices) of three different types of Salami, and served with a Salame Bun, which was different but very good – and all for a mere £5! My dining companion wanted to try the Suppli – and I am glad he did! It was a large ball of dough with nice a nice crust of crunchy bread crumbs and stuffed with mozzarella and tomato rice – also £5, and a great deal for a dish we had never heard of!

One can’t really eat ones way through a menu, but I wish I had the stomach and hunger for it because at Pasta Nostra there were other dishes we would’ve liked to have tried, including the Tortello Carbonara (with crispy cured pork cheek) and Bottonoini (filled pasta with mussels in a tomato sauce). I was very tempted to order the starter Gazpacho, but one of the ingredients was chilli, and the night we went was officially the UK’s hottest day ever, so I didn’t fancy eating anything spicy! But we did fancy dessert, and it was the Sicilian Cannolo(tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling). Yummy! One for £4 so I would recommend ordering two! Give the Tiramisu a miss – it’s served in a coffee cup and it’s too much cream, too much dairy, and just too much.

Pasta Nostra has a nice menu of drinks, including the usual Italian specialities of Negronis and Campana Spritz, along with wines, beers and soft drinks. It’s a nice small modern-looking restaurant with a small bar in the front and tables in the back and upstairs with a great £10 takeaway special (pasta, sauce, and dessert – though the pasta is uncooked). Pasta Nostra is on a mission, according to its website, to make the best pasta in town. Well, I say they are on their way to a great start! I’ll definitely go back!

https://pastanostralondon.com

1st August 2019
Jean Paul Gaultier Fashion Freak Show: Part Folies Bergére, part cabaret, part Rocky Horror Picture Show, and all fashion, you’ll be mesmerised!

★★★★ | Jean Paul Gaultier Fashion Freak Show

The life of Jean Paul Gaultier is told in very unique style at the Southbank in a show appropriately called Jean Paul Gaultier Fashion Freak Show. And what a show it is!

Ever since JPG was a little boy he always had a thing for fashion. You see, his parents told him to be whatever he wanted to be – which helped him become the man he is today – one of the most well-known fashion designers of his generation. And JPG is the Créateur du spectacle et des costumes (Creator of the show and the costumes), Metteur en scéne (Director),and the Librettiste. Basically it’s his show, and it’s all about him, and of course his costumes!

Part Folies Bergére, part cabaret, part Rocky Horror Picture Show, and all fashion, you’ll be mesmerized by what is taking place on the stage. It’s a full-on show that takes you through JPG’s life, which includes the soundtrack to his life, with songs like ‘Smalltown Boy,’ ‘I Want Your Love’ ‘Sex,’ ‘Relax,’ ‘Le Freak,’ ‘Respect Yourself,’ and the huge dance anthems ‘Work’ and of course ‘Vogue,’ where the young, virile, lithe performers give their voguing all on the stage. Also in the show is the story of JPG meeting his partner Francis while they were still students in the Paris suburbs. But it’s not JPG if it were not for the fashion, and fashion we get plenty of. Costumes in all shapes and colors, with nods to classic, simple, outrageous and of course fetish, and let’s not forget the cone bra that JPG famously made for Madonna – it’s all here in many cone dimensions.

Jean Paul Gaultier Fashion Freak Show (an invitation, according to JPG, to dream and to make your dreams a reality) is a show that, while is slightly artificial and over the top (like the fashion world), is a helluva good time, and a good way to spend two hours.

TICKETS
From £30
Box Office: 0203 879 9555
Website: www.southbankcentre.co.uk

30th July 2019
The View Upstairs Review: A show that is very uplifting and inspiring

★★★★★| The View Upstairs

(C) Darren Bell

If you plan to see any show this summer, make sure it is The View Upstairs.

The View Upstairs is a musical that’s full of very talented actors and singers; it’s a show that is based on a very tragic event; and it’s a show that is very uplifting and inspiring.

Max Vernon, who wrote the book, music and lyrics, has based this story on the Upstairs Lounge bar in New Orleans which was set fire in a catastrophic arson attack in 1973 where 32 men lost their lives in the raging inferno. It’s a true story that not many people know about, probably because at that time gays dying was just not big news. But from tragedy we get this great show – it’s a very simple story that has a big heart and an even bigger voice.

Wes (Tyrne Huntley) wants to buy an old attic that’s a wreck, and once he signs the contract we go back in time, where he meets the people (ghosts?) there who are in the ‘Life’ (a name they call themselves). He doesn’t quite know it yet but he’s in 1973, and those people there have no idea about that device he has in his hand that he calls a cellphone. He is instantly smitten with Patrick (a very good Andy Mientus) and tells Patrick abut the most important evens over the last 45 years. The bar manager is sassy and wonderful Henri (Carly Mercedes Dyer – who has an amazing voice) while Willie (Cedric Neal) has wisdom beyond his years. Other barflies include Buddy (John Partridge – who has a wife and 2 kids), the troubled Dale (Declan Bennett), and Freddy (Garry Lee) who likes to dress up in drag, which his mom (Victoria Hamilton Barritt) is been with.

The View Upstairs takes us on a journey to get to knew each character (Willie was supposed to be a dancer, while Patrick and Dale are male prostitutes), through music and song. Tension builds when the local police don’t like it that Freddy is seen in the street in drag. But it’s not only in the storytelling but also the songs that make this show stand out – songs that soar like anthems that pay tribute to the men who died in the real fire. Mientus is in fine vice when he sings ‘What I did say’ while the whole cast brings down the house at the end in the theme song ‘The View Upstairs.’ And once the show is finished, you feel that you’ve just attended a gospel choir performance; you’ll feel uplifted, full of joy, a tinge of sadness, but also a feeling that you’ve experienced something very unique.

https://sohotheatre.com/shows/the-view-upstairs/

26th July 2019
FILM REVIEW | ONLY YOU

★★★★★ | ONLY YOU

A contemporary romantic drama starring Laia Costa and Josh O’Connor, from first-time filmmaker Harry Wootliff. ‘Only You’ was shown as part of the London Film Festival’s First Feature Competition.

Elena (Laia Costa), 35, and Jake (Josh O’Connor, from the gay-must-watch film, God’s Own Country), 26, meet by chance on New Year’s Eve, fighting for the same taxi. But, instead of going their separate ways after a shared ride, they start a passionate relationship. Within weeks they are living together, and not long after they talk about starting a family. But, as the seasons pass, reality catches up with them. Falling in love was the easy part, but can they remain in love when life doesn’t give them everything they hoped for? It’s as realistic a love story as you can get – and both Costa and O’Connor are electrifying.

‘ONLY YOU’ is now in Cinemas and On Demand by Curzon

26th July 2019
RESTAURANT REVIEW | Uli, London

★★★★ | Uli, London

One of the most beautiful restaurants in Notting Hill is serving up Pan Asian food at very good prices.

Uli, just 2 minutes walk from Notting Hill tube station, is very recognisable by its glass-enclosed front where once you walk in you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into another world. Dishes such as Triple-cooked Dover Sole with asparagus, garlic and spring onion; Crispy shredded chilli beef, Moo Shu pork, chicken or tofu, among others, give you food choices that are much better quality than what you would find in Chinatown. The night me and a friend went for dinner on a late July evening it was raining, so unfortunately the rooftop was closed – but that was fine because we felt cozy and warm and were well taken care of by the very friendly staff and manager, and treated like VIPs.

For starters we had Peppercorn salted prawns (very good but for six a bit pricey at £12), Asparagus with black bean, chilli and ginger (fresh and wonderful – £9), and Chicken Gyoza (good – 4 for £7). The starters are a bit pricey – so choose carefully.

The Sweet and Sour Chicken (£13) with Egg Fried Rice (£5.50) was nothing exceptional and was just as you would expect. We also had a bowl of delicious green beans (not on the menu!), crunchy, and just like the asparagus, a bit spicey, but very very good.

The Crispy Aromatic Duck was the star dish of the evening. Nicely well-cooked, and served with pancakes, scallions, cucumber, and an amazing-tasting Housin duck sauce. The duck was well done – a bit crunchy, and tasteful, and it comes in three different price levels (£16 – 1/4; £29 – 1/2; and £48 – whole). Highly recommended.

If you chose to have a cocktail, please go for the Lychee Martini – vodka, vermouth, lychee – and is sweet and delicious. Their Expresso Martini, however, did not have the flavour or kick that I’m accustomed to. If you are not a cocktail lover, try one of their many beers or Sakes, or wines which come from a variety of European countries.

Desserts are in abundance but after all the food you’ve eaten you will want to something not too heavy. The Mochi Ice Cream (£3 per piece) is light, delicious, and is wrapped in a rice coating over the ice cream – just perfection.

Uli, which is the Chinese word for tranquility, is just that. Soft music, sleek tables and warm-looking plates, great international staff, an upper middle class clientele the night we were there, all adds up to a dining experience, that while not a destination place, is a perfect place for the local area. And when you do go there, pick a seat along the windows in the atrium, so cozy and nice you’ll never want to leave. I didn’t.

https://ulilondon.com

25th July 2019
The Night of the Iguana REVIEW: What happens in the 2 hours and 35 minutes of this show? Not a whole lot!

★★★☆☆ | The Night of the Iguana

(c) Brinkhoff.Moegenburg

The Night of the Iguana was never really Tennessee Williams’ best work, and a new theatre production in London adds very little to it.

Now playing at the Noel Coward Theatre, movie star Clive Owen plays defrocked priest Reverend T. Lawrence Shannon (Richard Burton in the film) who escapes to a Mexican lodge deep in the forest to while away his time. Others in the lodge include the owner Maxine (Breaking Bad’s Anna Gunn playing Ava Gardner’s role in the film), Hannah- a middle-aged single woman (Lia Williams), with her very old grandfather Nonno (Daniel Glover), and a German family who keeps on going back and forth from the lodge to the beach who in their quirky way liven up this production.

So what happens in the 2 hours and 35 minutes of this show? Not a whole lot! The most dramatic moment comes when a thunderstorm literally starts dripping buckets of rain onto the stage, leaving the cast scrambling for cover.

It’s a fantastic effect that you would think would set the mood for an even more exciting second half, but it’s all dialogue between Shannon and Hannah that leads to a bit of sexual tension but not enough to make this show sexy and exciting. Director James MacDonald limits the actors to a very small confined space on stage (though there is a cleverly designed staircase that goes down to an unseen beach), and while the rest of the cast are quite good, Owen is just OK, but there is really nothing spectacular about this production.

Perhaps it’s one for hardcore Williams, Owens, or Breaking Bad fans.

The Night of the Iguana plays at the Noel Coward Theatre until 28th September 2019, Book tickets here.

24th July 2019
Joseph And the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Review: A camp classic and this version puts it over the top

★★★★☆ | Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

(C) Tristram Kenton

49 years after it originally debuted, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is back and is as good as ever!

Now playing at the fabulous (and best venue in London) The Palladium, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat boasts a cast that is first rate and leaves the audience wanting more. The show, based on the ‘Coat of many colours’ story of Joseph from the Bible’s Book of Genesis, begins with Joseph (Jac Yarrow) being given a colourful coat by his dad. He’s then sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and then climbs back to the top. The show is considered a camp classic and this version puts it over the top!

Sheridan Smith is very good as the narrator – she guides us through the show effortlessly, and cheekily – it looks like she is having as good a time as we are. Jason Donovan makes an all too very brief appearance as the Pharaoh (with an excellent Elvis Presley-like imitation), in his gold harness-style outfit dutifully displaying most of his upper torso and legs – Jason has still got it. Yarrow, making his West End debut, is absolute perfection as the main character Joseph. Currently training at the Arts Educational School, Yarrow is the strongest voice in the show, and his rendition of ‘Close Every Door’ right before the end of the first half literally brings down the house. It’s a stunning West End debut by someone so young and very talented (he is only 21). And Donovan, who played Joseph in a 1991 version (also at the Palladium, has come full circle and weathered it very very well.

The show does not rely on razzle-dazzle sets and special effects – it’s all about the actors and talent on stage – and they more than deliver. The sets are effortlessly perfect, and the cast of children, most of them playing adult characters (a few with fake beards) make the show charming and enduring. But the show, on the technical side on the night I saw it, had sound problems. The audience could not quite understand Donovans’ lyrics, while, in a show that is mostly sung and not spoken, makes a big impact on the storytelling for those of us seeing it for the first time. But’s it a minor quibble – Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (written by a very young Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice) is lively and fun and should continue to bring this to audiences to come, probably for the next 49 years.

Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat plays at The Palladium until September 2019, book tickets here

15th July 2019
Bitter Wheat Review: Downward spiral that becomes shockingly dumb

★ | Bitter Wheat

(C) PR SUPPLIED

John Malkovich and David Mamet attempt to tell a story about a Hollywood mogul and his downfall but it falls completely flat in the new West End Show Bitter Wheat.

Malkovich, star of screen and stage (70 films in total including Empire of the Sun and Burn After Reading), and playwright David Mamet (Glengarry Glen Ross, Speed the Plow) are where the blames lie in a show that tries to deal with an issue that is very timely but in this stage production is poorly executed. Malkovich is super-rich movie mogul Barney Fein who thinks and makes decisions with his nether regions. All likeliness to Harvey Weinstein is purely coincidental (!!).

In this satire that is far from funny, Fein’s life is managed by his loyal assistant (Doon Mackichan).

He even relies on her to get a gift for his mother’s birthday (his mother owns the company) – strangely the same scarf she got her the year before. And then there is another assistant (Alexander Arnold) who has no other function then just to walk in from time to time (including at the end where he announces that there is a man with a gun in the lobby – the same man who kills Feins’ mother in the second half – not shown) – all very silly and unbelievable. But before we get to this we are witness to an attempt by Fein to get young British-Korean actress and Cambridge grad Yung Kim Li (Ioanna Kimbook), who’s flown in to meet him, into a sexual liaison (all she wants is to eat after a long flight).

Fein first asks her for a massage, and then finally asks her if she would watch him take a shower.

It’s all very creepy and weird. And the show, at only 110 minutes long, (it also has an interval,) continues on a downward spiral that becomes shockingly dumb and just as quick as Weinteins’ downfall. Malkovich is just not convincing enough and delivers his lines like he’s reading them, while Mamet, who wrote and directed, knows better than to stage a show this bad.

Avoid at all costs.

Bitter Wheat plays at the Garrick Theatre until 14th September, book tickets here

4th July 2019
RESTAURANT REVIEW | Kalifornia Kitchen, London

★★★★ | Kalifornia Kitchen, London

Do you want food that will make you look and feel beautiful? Well, according to Kalifornia Kitchen, their food will do just that!

Located both in Fulham and on Percy Street right off Tottenham Court Road, vegan chef and influencer Loui Blake has opened Kalifornia Kitchen, a restaurant dedicated to all things vegan and it’s already known as a vegan lovers paradise. Concentrating on nutritious and sustainable food and drinks, utilising the power of plants and abstaining from any animal products or harmful plastics, a visit to Kalifornia Kitchen will be good for your inner organs if you’re not used to this type of food. And if you are strictly a vegan then more than likely you already know about this place as it’s gotten rave reviews.

Extra nice but a bit confused staff made our visit on a Thursday night memorable. With no idea what to order, I threw caution to the wind and choose a few obscure dishes. The Banana Skin Tacos were amazing. Yes – banana skin was a bit of a substitute for meat, and we ate them up. With rainbow slaw & house mayonnaise and a delicious bbq sauce, this £7 dish is one I would order again. The Pickled Cucumber – spicy hummus with pickles and side crudite, and pita bread was also a delicious and yummy starter (£8).

The mains were also very interesting. I was torn between the Chickpea & Date Tagine or the Mexican Beans, so I had the beans (!!). At a whopping £14, the beans were basically black beans served in two courgettes (called on the menu ‘boats’) with very very delicious avocado and mango salad – different, very good, refreshing, however, a bit expensive.

My friend gobbled up the Classic (not Klassic?) Kalilfornia Burger. Served on a pretzel bun, it looked like a real burger! However, the flavour, though not for me, was a bit raw, probably only because it was vegan, and it was served with gouda, caramelised onion, red cabbage, romaine lettuce and a special burger sauce. Served with ‘normal’ fries that were extremely tasty, the dish is worth the £13.50 price. Spicy Kale Chips, though not very spicy, were strange tasting with its cashew cheese sprinkled on top of each chip before it’s baked – different. Perhaps an acquired taste.

Drinks are definitely something to rave about there. Very healthy smoothies, juices (with names such as Healing, Balanced, Immunity) are super tasty and you feel healthier the more you drink, with ingredients including quinoa, pineapple, tumeric, ginger, mint, etc…

I have to point out that other dishes on the menu sounded very tempting – including the Rainbow Bowl (cherry tomato, cauliflower couscous with pomegranate, activated seeds, roasted butternut squash, organic coconut yoghurt, fresh avocado and falafel), Butter Curry, and the Fish & Chips that would be good for a second visit.

We didn’t have a chance to try their dessert as the Percy Street location closed at ten on the night we visited, but we were too stuffed anyway to try the Matcha Cheesecake, Pecan Pie and the Sticky Toffee Pudding.

Dinner for two at Kalifornia Kitchen won’t set you back more than £60 (if you order starters and mains) – I’m not sure where you’ll find a cheaper vegan meal this central. The restaurant itself is beautifully designed with California style colours (lots of pink with whitewashed walls) with picnic style tables for a very calm, soothing and relaxed atmosphere. It does feel a bit like you are in California. There is an upstairs area that has the feel of great aunts sitting room. For a truly adventurous (for meat eaters) meal, Kalifornia Kitchen is a very unique and lovely dining experience.

https://www.kaliforniakitchen.co.uk

19 Percy Street W1T 1DY
Fulham Market Hall, 472 Fulham Road, SW6 1BY
info@kaliforniakitchen.co.uk
+44 (0) 207 504 4444
Opening Times
Tues-Sun / 11:00-22:00 (19:00 Sun)

24th June 2019
After 82 Review: A moving documentary film about the AIDS stories that need to be told

★★★★☆ | After 82

AFTER 82 is a new documentary about the AIDS crisis and the people who were affected by it most, is now available on VoD.

These men tell their stories of what they went through, what it felt like to receive a death sentence, and why they can’t really understand why they are still here after having lost so many friends and lovers in the 1980s and 1990s. We also hear from some of the women who were also in the front lines of the early days of the epidemic.

Narrated by Dominic West, Ben Lord and Steve Keeble’s compelling documentary looks back to the very early days of the pandemic when there were no medications available and a positive HIV test meant almost certain death.

The documentary features interviews with the actor Jonathan Blake (portrayed by Dominic West in the BAFTA-winning film Pride) who has lived with the virus for over 30 years. Dr Rupert Whitaker, who was still a teenager when he fell in love with Terrence Higgins, recounts their relationship, and Higgins’ subsequent death.

Lord Norman Fowler describes, with actual footage, of his visit to AIDS wards in San Francisco and sees for himself how the US was not dealing with the disease very well. He was part of Margaret Thatcher’s government and is the only man to have changed her mind about the then escalating crisis in the UK.

Thanks to his persistence and massive campaign surrounding HIV/AIDS during the 1980s HIV infections started to decline. Lisa Power OBE, who co-founded Stonewall, provides testimonies and insight to an era where hysteria from fear spread across the world through lack of knowledge and understanding. And Gary Brough, so eloquently and movingly tells his own personal story of having the disease in his 20’s and how now, in his 50’s, he has a mortgage, is in a civil partnership, and is thinking about retiring after having lived so long with the disease.

AFTER 82 is a moving documentary about stories that need to be told, and the ones told in this documentary are just a few of thousands of stories that have yet to be told.

After 82 is available now to stream on demand and buy as well as selected screenings.

23rd June 2019