BBC books trip to The Island
FIRST LOOK: Sorcha Groundsell leads the cast of An t-Eilean (The Island), the first ever high-end Gaelic drama series, coming to the BBC in early 2025.
Described as a tense, twisting story of lies, loss and long-buried secrets, the murder mystery is set against the elemental backdrop of the Western Isles of Scotland.
Groundsell (His Dark Materials, The Innocents) stars as Kat Crichton, a young police family liaison officer assigned to investigate the brutal murder of the wife of a local tycoon at a remote island mansion. She stars alongside Sagar Radia (Industry), who plays her boss, DCI Ahmed Halim. The murder investigation unravels on the island of Lewis and Harris, from where Kat mysteriously fled 10 years previously.
The cast features a mixture of seasoned and home-grown acting talent. Iain Macrae (Bannan) stars as Sir Douglas, the head of the wealthy – but deeply dysfunctional – Maclean family. Having been wounded in the attack that killed his wife, Lady Mary (Elspeth Turner) mystery surrounds whether the self-made millionaire is somehow implicated.
Joining the cast as the four grown Maclean children are Sinéad MacInnes (Outlander) as Eilidh, Andrew Macinnes as Calum, Meredith Brook as Sìne (Bannan) and Sam James Smith as Ruaraidh.
Other cast members include Daibhidh Walker, Sharyn Ferguson, Carina MacLeod, Tormod Macleòid, MJ Deans, Iain ‘Spanish’ Mackay and Julia Taudevin.
An t-Eilean (The Island) is a four-part drama produced by Black Camel Pictures for BBC Alba and BBC iPlayer, in association with All3Media International.
Written by Nicholas Osborne and Patsi Mackenzie, and directed by Tom Sullivan (Arracht), the series is executive produced by Arabella Page Croft and Nicole Fitzpatrick, and series produced by Kieran Parker and Bjorn Hanson. Music is by composer Biggi Hilmars.
The series is being distributed globally by All3Media International, and development of the project was supported by MG ALBA and Screen Scotland.
An t-Eilean (The Island), which combines Gaelic dialogue with English, will air in early 2025 on BBC Alba, BBC iPlayer and BBC Four.
tagged in: An t-Eilean, BBC Alba, BBC Four, BBC iPlayer, Black Camel Pictures, Sorcha Groundsell, The Island