GAELIC drama Bannan is busting TV myths about Highland life, according to the producer of hit sitcom The Inbetweeners.
Chris Young helped bring the Channel 4 comedy to life before doing the same for Skye-based Bannan, which began running on BBC Alba in 2014.
Its “dark” seventh series will begin on September 21, and will cover “disturbing” issues including the sharing of explicit images online by school pupils, as well as the “toxic effects” of long-buried family secrets and the devastating impact of cancer.
Young, founder and managing director of series producer Young Films, says the series is “telling new stories” about contemporary life in the Highlands and Islands.
He said: “Bannan goes into the complex area of how young people use the internet to explore their growing sexuality and all the risks that can come with that.
“TV dramas still tend to have a very cosy and nostalgic view of life in the Highlands and Islands, but we wanted to show that contemporary issues such as online sex are just as relevant and dramatic here as they are in any urban setting. We’re exploring new territory, and telling new stories.
“The internet is a significant part of life in the Highland and Islands, and has transformed many people’s lives for the better, however there’s a downside because it can also bring danger.”
Filmed in Sleat, Bannan centres around the community of Camus, with teenager Ceitidh amongst the residents. This series she’ll be the centre of a major storyline as she sends intimate images to a stranger on the internet who claims to be a teenage boy, but who is not what he seems.
Meredith Brook, who plays the character, says filming was “hard and brutal” but she was “drawn in by the importance” of the material. She said: “When I first got told about the storyline for this series I felt a mix of excitement and anxiety.
“I was very lucky to be working with such talented actors and directors when dealing with scenes that required feelings of raw emotion, sympathy and anger. I was so absorbed in the role that I ended up shedding tears even during rehearsals.”
Bannan producer, Sarah Jane Campbell commented: “We dealt with some very emotionally challenging storylines this year, which our cast and crew handled with great sensitivity. It’s such a pleasure to see our young cast developing along with the storylines and so rewarding to discover new actors who bring so much to Bannan.
“Viewers will experience a whole range of emotions as they follow the events which rock the community of Camus.”
Series seven begins on Monday, September 21 at 9pm.
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