Red Gold

Anita Sullivan
Jun 16
4 min read

Updated: Jun 17

Making an audio drama about the UK's four-decade infected blood scandal.

And the unfolding compensation scandal of 2025.

In 2022 I wrote End of Transmission, the story of HIV told from the point of view of the virus. I became aware of the shocking history of the infected blood scandal. Blood banks paying poor and desperate doners from across the Caribbean, and the streets and prisons of America. Big pharma selling infected blood products worldwide. They called it Red Gold.

In the UK 30,000 people were infected with Hep C and/ or HIV from the late 1960s to early the 80’s, many of them haemophiliacs. Their infections have affected up to 140,000 partners and family members, as they struggle with illness, death, stigma and poverty. It has taken 40 years for an inquiry to investigate and acknowledge the harm done.

Sir Brian Langstaff’s Inquiry in 2023 examined the evidence and laid blame on successive UK governments. His report of May 2024 recommended a framework of compensation. Note that this is the only recompense: no person, business or institution in the UK has been prosecuted or fined for negligence. Compensation was to be justice.

I live well with HIV myself and heard through my network that compensation was being delayed. Why? How has this happened? The scale of impact from this rolling scandal was inconceivable. But I thought following one person’s story in the present day, might make story human and accessible.

In November 24 I pitched Red Gold to Radio 4, a story about waiting decades for justice and what that does to a life. The BBC liked the idea for summer broadcast but were concerned.

What if the compensation is all paid by July 2025? Would the play still be relevant by the time it's broadcast?

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) is a new ‘arms length’ body run by civil-service interim management. Their job is to deliver compensation in accordance with regulations set by the cabinet office. These were written in haste on the advice of a closed doors expert group who didn’t consult the victims. The scheme was to be delivered on a ‘test and learn’ IT system… while simultaneously recruiting 500 claims managers.

Of course it couldn’t be done by July.

By April 2025 only 77 people had been paid. IBCA wasn’t recruiting claims managers fast enough. The tariff rules for claiming were complex and unfair, the additional evidence hard to obtain. People were dying before getting their compensation.

At this point, I had written the first draft of the play. The central character Byron is a 60 year old activist and archivist with haemophilia, infected with HIV and Hep C. His health is stable but he’s living alone and struggling mentally. The story follows his relationship with a new personal assistant.

Today people with HIV on effective medication can’t pass it on, and Hep C can be cleared. But stigma runs deep. Some people haven’t even told their families. Byron’s story and others in the drama are authentic, with biographical details have been changed to protect identities. But drama became current affairs.

Owen, a friend of one of my contacts, died unexpected days before his compensation was finalised, leaving his family devastated. Then on April 9th 2025 Sir Brian responded to the community's anxiety and anger, and called a second hearing into the compensation delay.

On May 7th & 8th community representatives

gave testimony, and the cabinet office and IBCA were questioned.

With the help of my director Polly Thomas I navigated the rigors of BBC Editorial Policy and threaded the hearings into the drama. We continued to respond to events right up until recording on June 9th. Writing this blog on June 16th I’m still watching for updates that might impact the audio play. Like the rest of the infected communities, we’re left in limbo waiting to hear about compensation.

But in spite of everything you've just read, Red Gold isn’t a bleak and angry play. When I talk to survivors, what I see alongside the anger is compassion, generous co-support and incredible strength. The drama honours that with human connection, warmth and wit.

It’s about resilience, finding the strength to look forward. And love.

We recorded the drama at Fishfactory Studios (fabulous mural above!), with Polly Thomas directing and Jon Nicholls audio recording and sound design. I was lucky to get my first choice of cast: Matt Fraser (Loudermilk, American Horror Story), Amanda Wilkin (Otherland, Shedding a Skin) and Christine Bottomley (Sherwood, Shameless). They were outstanding, perfect for the roles, and sound so great together. It was one of those studio experiences when everything falls into place effortlessly, under Polly’s clear, gentle lead. Beautiful work.

Creating this drama has been a truly collaborative experience, and I’m enormously grateful to the activists and community representatives who helped me. They are exhausted by advocacy work, manning helplines, and the emotional impact of the trial, while they themselves are survivors of contaminated blood and its fallout . In the midst of all this they made time to answer my intrusive and sometime ignorant questions and even read drafts of the script. They are incredible people.

Thank you…

· Robert James – Birchgrove Group. My core support through the process. So grateful for his insight and trust

· Mark Ward –author of ‘Bleeding Fabulous’

· Andrew Evans- Tainted Blood chair and co-founder

· Samantha May- Hep C Trust, helpline manager

· Susan Evans- Hep C Trust

· Jessica Bomford -Haemophilia Society, communications manager

· Paul Cantwell -Terrance Higgins (Macfarlane Trust) helpline manager

· Owen’s family, who allowed me to tell his story in the drama

Thanks also to people who answered questions and connected me to further resources:

· Darren Kelso and Jessica Vickerage -Infected Blood Compensation Authority

· Stef Dickers - Bishopsgate Institute archives