BBC ALBA: Gaelic drama series set to hit international screens

BBC ALBA has commissioned a brand-new crime thriller which will be the biggest Gaelic drama series in the channel’s history – with an estimated budget of more than £1 million per episode.

The ambitious four-part series, An t-Eilean (The Island), is set to put Gaelic-language drama on the global map with a gripping storyline from screenwriter and creator Nicholas Osborne.

Set against the elemental landscape of the Outer Hebrides, An t-Eilean is a compelling crime story that follows a family caught up in a murder investigation very close to home.

When their mother is found murdered in the family castle, four adult children return to the Scottish island of their birth as their father is questioned over her death.

Filming is expected to begin on location against the stunning backdrop of the Western Isles in spring 2024, with more information on casting to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

An t-Eilean Beach

Produced by BAFTA-winning Black Camel Pictures and directed by Tom Sullivan, the show is set to air to an international audience. Development of the project has been supported by Screen Scotland.

‘An t-Eilean is a game-changer for BBC ALBA as our biggest budget and most prestigious TV drama to date,’ said Bill Macleod, commissioning editor at BBC ALBA.

‘We’re in the process of bringing together an amazing cast and breathtaking filming locations to help bring this enthralling Gaelic story to life on a global stage.’

Arabella Page Croft, executive producer at Black Camel Pictures, said: ‘We are hugely proud to produce An t-Eilean, another ambitious TV drama series from Black Camel and the first ever high-end Gaelic-language drama made in Scotland.

‘It has been such a joy and inspiration to develop this gripping thriller together with BBC ALBA and the whole team are looking forward to beginning principal photography on the spectacular Hebridean isles of Lewis and Harris next month.’

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