Outlander star joins star-studded cast of BBC's first-ever high-end Gaelic language show

An t-Eilean, which translates in English to ‘The Island’, is the BBC’s first-ever high-end Gaelic language drama.

Set against the backdrop of the Western Isles of Scotland, the upcoming mystery series promises a star-studded cast as well as a “twisting story of lies, loss and long-buried secrets”.

The show, which combines Gaelic dialogue with English, will air on January 14 on BBC ALBA, BBC iPlayer and BBC Four.

The BBC has explained how the cast “has been cleverly assembled to combine a mixture of seasoned and home-grown acting talent”.

Shetland and His Dark Materials star Sorcha Groundsell leads the cast as Kat Crichton, a young Family Liaison Officer, assigned to investigate the brutal murder of the wife of a local tycoon at a remote island mansion.

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Her co-star is Industry actor Sagar Radia, who plays her boss DCI Ahmed Halim in the murder mystery, which takes place on the island of Lewis and Harris, from where Kat fled ten years previously.

Local tycoon Sir Douglas Maclean is portrayed by Iain Macrae of Bannan fame, though he has also appeared in episodes of Shetland and Outlander.

Outlander fans are most likely to recognise the familiar face of Sinéad MacInnes, who portrays Hortense MacNeill in season 6 of the Starz show.

As Kat Crichton gets drawn into the tangled web of the Maclean family, she encounters their four grown children.

This includes Eilidh, who is played by Sinéad, Calum (Andrew Macinnes), Sìne (Meredith Brook - Bannan) and Ruaraidh (Sam James Smith).

Speaking about her upcoming role, Sinéad told the BBC: “When I got the audition through, I was really excited by it. I'd never heard of anything being made like this before in Gaelic.

“It was a really exciting moment. I think anyone you know who speaks Gaelic and acts would want to be a part of this kind of quite historic moment for Gaelic TV. It's just a really fun story.

“A lot of people have been saying for years, there needs to be a kind of murder noir set in the Western Isles. It's like the landscape is just perfect for it, so that was really stand out and exciting.”

An t-Eilean will air on January 14 and will be available to watch on BBC ALBA, BBC iPlayer and BBC Four.