Martin Compston (Line of Duty, Vigil), Tony Curran (Your Honour, Doctor Who) and Ashley Jensen (After Life, Extras) are set to star in a new Scottish drama for the BBC.
Mayflies follows Tully Dawson (Curran) and Jimmy’s (Compston) evolving friendship over the summer of 1986 in a small Scottish town.
“With school over and the locked world of their fathers before them, they rush towards the climax of their youth: a magical weekend in Manchester, the epicentre of everything that inspires them in working-class Britain,” the official plot synopsis reads.
“There, against the greatest soundtrack ever recorded, a vow is made: to go at life differently. Thirty years on, half a life away, the phone rings. Tully has the worst kind of news, and a request that will test their friendship, love, and loyalty to the limit…”
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Based on the novel of the same name by Andrew O’Hagan, the show is produced by Synchronicity Films (The Cry).
Gaynor Holmes, BBC Drama Commissioning Editor, said: “We’re incredibly proud to continue the BBC’s longstanding commitment to showcasing the very best of Scotland and Scottish talent with this distinctive new drama. Mayflies is an intimate and devastating portrait of male friendship that manages to be both life-affirming and heart-breaking, and we’re delighted to have assembled an outstanding lead cast and creative team to bring it from page to screen.”
Andrea Gibb, Screenwriter and Executive Producer added: “Adapting Andrew O’Hagan’s magnificent novel has been one of the highlights of my career. Andrew tells his story of enduring male friendship with love, truth, tenderness and a searing humanity. There’s not an ounce of sentimentality. It’s very funny and deeply moving. The characters of Tully and Jimmy are instantly recognisable and totally unforgettable. Both are so alive and vibrant they leap off the page. It’s been a joy and a privilege living with them.”
Filming is set to begin in and around Glasgow and Ayrshire in autumn 2022. The series will air on BBC One, BBC Scotland and BBC iPlayer.
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