Skip to content

First look at BBC's most expensive Gaelic drama

Black Camel Pictures/BBC Alba/John Maher Radia, dressed in long grey coat, and Groundsell, wearing a woollen coat over an orange jacket, are standing in front of a police car on a single-track island road. Black Camel Pictures/BBC Alba/John Maher
Sagar Radia and Sorcha Groundsell star in the new show

The BBC has released new images and more details on its most expensive Gaelic TV drama.

An t-Eilean (The Island), which cost more than £1m per episode to make, is a four-part thriller from BBC Alba centred around a murder investigation.

The show is the BBC's first Gaelic language crime drama and is due to air early next year on BBC Alba, BBC iPlayer and BBC Four.

Sorcha Groundsell, who grew up in Lewis and Glasgow, was unveiled as the show's star in April and the new announcement reveals she has been joined by Harrow-born Sagar Radia.

Black Camel Pictures/BBC Alba/John Maher A group made up of men and women are dressed in party clothes and dancing and laughing.Black Camel Pictures/BBC Alba/John Maher
Scenes for the drama were filmed in the Western Isles and Glasgow

Groundsell has previously appeared in HBO series His Dark Materials, BBC drama Shetland and Netflix's The Innocents.

Radia, who plays her boss DCI Ahmed Halim, appeared in HBO show Industry.

The cast also includes Iain Macrae, who appeared in Gaelic drama Bannan and Amazon Prime's Outlander series, Edinburgh-based actor and filmmaker Elspeth Turner and Sinéad MacInnes, who has appeared in Outlander.

Scenes were filmed in Lewis, Harris and Glasgow.

Amhuinnsuidhe Castle, a 19th Century private country house in Harris, is the main location.

With dialogue in Gaelic and English, the show's plot revolves around an unravelling murder investigation on the islands of Lewis and Harris.

Groundsell's character mysteriously fled the Western Isles 10 years previously.

Black Camel Pictures/BBC Alba/John Maher A stylised image showing Sorcha Groundsell's character close up with other cast members behind her. In the background is a castle with lights on in the windows of the lower floors.Black Camel Pictures/BBC Alba/John Maher
The four-part drama is due to air early next year

The actor said the new show felt like a watershed moment for Gaelic.

She said: "Across the world, we are seeing indigenous languages step confidently out from the shadows to enjoy the recognition they deserve.

"I see our show as part of that wider movement - a celebration of all that makes us unique."

She added: "I'm so proud to have been part of a production that is pioneering these new horizons for Gaelic and showcasing the beauty, creativity and depth our language brings to the world."

Sagar Radia added: "Being part of An t-Eilean has been an exciting experience for me. The show really allowed us to showcase the beauty of Gaelic culture and language in a way that feels authentic - it's about bringing the islands' rich history to life for viewers, and I'm so proud to be part of that."

Related internet links