What is ‘It’s a Sin’? All About ‘The Great British Baking Show: Holidays’ Christmas Bakers

So who exactly were those people crashing the tent in this year’s The Great British Baking Show: Holidays Christmas episode on Netflix? Many hardcore British TV nerds will have had no issue recognizing the stars of 2021’s UK hit It’s a Sin, but what if you don’t leave Netflix too often? Would you know Olly Alexander from his music career or from his lead role in HBO Max‘s It’s a Sin? Would you even know what It’s a Sin was?!? Why were the stars of It’s a Sin invited to participate in The Great British Baking Show: Holidays anyway??

The Great British Bake Off — as it’s known as in the UK — is far more than a cult hit across the pond. It’s a veritable franchise featuring spin-off shows, charity specials, and more. Sometimes this means that British celebs are invited to try their hand at dazzling judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith. Last Christmas, producers invited the cast of It’s a Sin to join them for some holiday fun. (While Netflix has the rights to show Americans and our non-UK brethren new episodes of current seasons of The Great British Baking Show the same week they premiere across the pond, we have to wait a whole year for the holiday specials.)

But why It’s a Sin and who are these people giggling their way through the first episode of The Great British Baking Show: Holidays this year? Here’s what you need to know about the The Great British Baking Show: Holidays/It’s a Sin crossover…

Why Is The Cast of HBO Max’s It’s a Sin Competing in The Great British Baking Show: Holidays?

Did you find yourself a wee bit confused to see four British actors from the show It’s a Sin on Netflix’s The Great British Baking Show: Holidays? For the second time ever, Love Productions invited the cast of a popular Channel 4 show to yuk it up in the Bake Off tent for the holidays. A few years back, the stars of Derry Girls — including Bridgerton‘s Nicola Coughlan — were asked to participate in a New Years version of The Great British Baking Show and it was a delight.

While Derry Girls might be a familiar Netflix title in the USA, It’s a Sin isn’t. It’s an HBO Max show…

What Is It’s a Sin? Which It’s a Sin Cast Members are in The Great British Baking Show: Holidays?

It’s a Sin is a British miniseries created by Russell T. Davies that looks life during the AIDS crisis in London. Over the course of ten years — 1981 to 1991 — we follow a group of young gay men who become besties and flatmates (along with gal pal Jill). It was a hugely popular show when it premiered in the UK in 2021 and a modest, but critically-acclaimed, hit on HBO Max.

Four stars of It’s a Sin appear in The Great British Baking Show: Holidays:

• Olly Alexander, who plays Ritchie Tozer in It’s a Sin and is known for his music, recorded under Years & Years
• Lydia West, who plays Jill Baxter, a character loosely based on Russell T. Davies’s real-life best friend Jill Nadler
• Shaun Dooley, who plays Ritchie’s father Clive Tozer in the series
• Nathaniel Curtis, who plays Ash Mukherjee in the series (and will be in Netflix’s The Witcher: Blood Origin later this holiday season

Can You Stream It’s a Sin on Netflix?

You can not stream It’s a Sin on Netflix! Unlike the Derry Girls crossover, which made sense because Derry Girls is a Netflix show, It’s a Sin is unavailable to stream on Netflix.

It’s a Sin is only available with a HBO Max subscription. Available for $9.99 (with ads) or $14.99 (ad-free) per month (or $99.99/$149.99 a year), HBO Max includes all of HBO, along with additional movies, shows, and Max Originals.

If you’re already an HBO subscriber, you most likely have access to HBO Max, which is available to stream on Amazon devices, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Roku, Android devices, and more.