• Arwel Gruffydd, Shaheen Jafargholi, Mali Ann Rees, William Thomas, Gwyneth Keyworth and Gwawr Loader also join the cast

• Filming has now begun in and around Cardiff

Lost Boys and Fairies - the tender, glittering story of singer and artiste-extraordinaire Gabriel, his partner Andy and their journey to adoption - has revealed its cast. Cardiff-born actor Sion Daniel Young (Witness Number 3, Deceit) and star of stage and screen Fra Fee (Cabaret, Les Misérables) will appear in lead roles as Gabriel and Andy, respectively. Lost Boys and Fairies is created and written by Welsh writer Daf James, directed by James Kent (The Capture, Testament of Youth), and produced by Duck Soup Films for BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

The cast also includes Elizabeth Berrington (Stella, The Pact), Olivier Award-winner Sharon D. Clarke (Holby City, Doctor Who), Maria Doyle Kennedy (Kin, Outlander), Arwel Gruffydd (Y Sŵn, Tess of the D’Urbervilles), Shaheen Jafargholi (Casualty, EastEnders), Mali Ann Rees (The Pact, Keeping Faith), William Thomas (Torchwood), Gwyneth Keyworth (Alex Rider, Fflam), Gwawr Loader (Hidden) and more.

Filming has now begun in and around Cardiff, where production will bring to life Gabriel’s performances at queer club-space ‘Neverland’, and chart his journey of self-discovery as he grapples with memories of his childhood, attempting to repair his relationship with his dad before becoming a parent himself.

Writer and creator Daf James says: “‘I’m thrilled to be working with this world-class team to bring my personally inspired Welsh, queer, adoption story to screen authentically.”

Director James Kent says: “Lost Boys and Fairies is the most beautiful love story I've read. Daf's scripts are heart wrenching, very funny and powerful advocates for the right of gay men and women to parent a child. They left me in floods of tears and as a gay director I'm so excited and honoured to be bringing this story to the general public.”

Libby Durdy of Duck Soup Films says: “We are delighted that Daf’s beautiful story Lost Boys & Fairies will be brought authentically to life by James and this wonderful cast.”

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, says: “It’s a real pleasure to see such a talented cast join forces to bring the wonderful Lost Boys and Fairies to life. Daf’s intelligent and hilarious scripts effortlessly blend the everyday with the extraordinary, and are packed with the most brilliant ensemble of characters ready to take BBC viewers on this fascinating and heartfelt journey.”

Nick Andrews, Head of Commissioning for BBC Cymru Wales says: "Daf James has written a beautiful story about a family. Born out of the truths of his own experience Lost Boys and Fairies possesses a unique and distinct emotional power. Daf is fast becoming one of Wales' most distinctive voices and BBC Cymru Wales is very happy to back his important and timely series.”

Head of Creative Wales, Gerwyn Evans says: “To see this contemporary and authentic Welsh story, with such a quality writer and production team behind it, being filmed in Cardiff is both exciting and heart-warming. Creative Wales is delighted to be supporting this production as part of our wider work to grow our creative sectors and we can’t wait for it to hit our screens.”

Executive producers are Rebekah Wray-Rogers, Libby Durdy, Jessica Brown Meek, Sophie Francis, Daf James and James Kent for Duck Soup Films and Jo McClellan for BBC. It will be distributed by All3International.

The series is Duck Soup Films’ first commission for BBC One and BBC iPlayer and Daf’s first original screenplay for the BBC. Lost Boys and Fairies was developed as part of BBC Writersroom’s TV Drama Writers’ Programme 2019.

The series was commissioned as part of the BBC’s Small Indie Fund which supports the growth of small independent production companies with turnovers below £10m. The initiative was designed to help boost the strength of UK production in the context of global competition with a strong focus on companies with diverse leadership and producers based outside London. Additional funding support has been provided by Creative Wales, the Welsh Government agency that supports the growth of the Creative Sectors.