Queer As Folk creator Russell T. Davies has penned a five-part TV series, Boys, that spotlights a group of young gay men whose lives are affected by the burgeoning AIDS epidemic in 1980s Britain.

Produced by Nicola Shindler’s banner Red, the new series, which is directed by Peter Hoar, will likely air in 2020 on Britain's Channel 4, according to Variety.

The cast features pop singer Olly Alexander as 18-year-old Ritchie, who is not out to his parents; Omari Douglas and Callum Scott Howells as Ritchie’s new gay friends Roscoe and Colin; Keeley Hawes and Shaun Dooley as Ritchie's parents; and Tony and Emmy winner Neil Patrick Harris as Henry Coltrane. The series also features Lydia West, Nathaniel Ash, Stephen Fry, and Tracy Ann Oberma.

Harris, last on Broadway with his Tony-winning turn in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, said in a statement, “This drama, Boys, is two things. It is an irresistible, funny, jubilant story of young people discovering their true identities and the unalloyed joy of living life to the fullest. It is also a deeply resonant exploration of a decade when so many of these lives were cut short by the devastating effects of the nascent AIDS pandemic. Russell’s scripts chart the highs and lows of this time so beautifully and deftly.”

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