BBC Lost Boys and Fairies: cast, what it's about and how many episodes there are

The BBC's new series Lost Boys and Fairies may be fictional but the "drama with music" is inspired by true events. Written by Daf James, the three-parter is about being a parent, parents and children, set against the backdrop of gay adoption.

It tells the story of Cardiff couple Gabriel and Andy and their journey to adoption, based on Daf's own experiences of becoming a parent. He says the series is also a love story as well as being a "queer, bilingual, Welsh/English drama about adoption".

He added: "If somebody would have told me that as a kid that this kind of representation was going to be in the mainstream in this way, I wouldn't have believed it. This will be the most Welsh you’ve ever heard in a primetime BBC drama.

"I think it's so important that we get to see these minority perspectives in the mainstream. It's my identity: I’m a queer, Welsh-speaking Dad. This is my normal."

The BBC says the "tender, glittering" series is "packed with songs, often used in surprising ways". The channel describes Lost Boys and Fairies as a "coming of middle-age story, both bold and deeply heart-wrenching, filled to the brim with humour, redemption, and love".

Read on to find out everything you need to know about Lost Boys & Fairies.

What is The Lost Boys & Fairies on BBC One about?

Set in modern-day Cardiff, the series follows Gabriel, a singer and artiste at Cardiff queer club-space Neverland and his partner Andy, who long to adopt a child. To do so they must convince their social worker Jackie that they’re up to the task.

However, Gabriel has a history of childhood trauma and is hiding his demons from the effects of decades of shame having grown up in a society that overwhelmingly treated being gay as a sin. He must embark upon a journey of self-discovery and attempt to repair his relationship with his dad before he can truly begin to parent seven-year-old Jake.

Writer Daf James has described Lost Boys & Fairies as "a drama with music, that explores the themes of parents and children told against the backdrop of gay adoption, set in Cardiff. It’s also a love story."

Of the lead characters and their relationship, he says: "They've decided to adopt a child because they've been together for a long time – eight years – and they've got what they consider to be a really stable relationship. Quite organically a space has opened up where they feel that they can share their love with somebody. Gabriel is conflicted about this, whether or not he's up to the challenge, which is part of the story."

Who is in the cast of Lost Boys & Fairies?

Cardiff-born actor Sion Daniel Young (The Left Behind, Deceit) and Fra Fee (Cabaret, Hawkeye) play the lead roles of Gabriel and Andy.

They are joined by Elizabeth Berrington (Stella, The Pact), Olivier Award-winner Sharon D Clarke (Showtrial, Informer), 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) and Gwawr Loader (Hidden).

How many episodes of Lost Boys & Fairies are there?

Lost Boys and Fairies has three hour-long episodes.

When is Lost Boys & Fairies on BBC One?

Episode one of Lost Boys & Fairies is on BBC One at 9pm on Monday, June 3. Episode two will be on BBC One on Monday, June 10 at 9pm and episode three on BBC One on Monday, June 17. It is also available in full now on BBC iPlayer.