Tatau cast announced for new BBC Three drama series
BBC Three has today announced the cast for brand new 8 X 45 drama series Tatau. Written by Richard Zajdlic, Tatau is co-produced by Touchpaper TV (makers of Being Human) and New Zealand’s largest screen production company, South Pacific Pictures, for BBC Three and BBC America.
Published: 25 September 2014
The script is based on real Maori mythology, it has everything in it - romance, comedy, smuggling, mystery.
Taking on the lead roles are Joe Layton (New Worlds, Father Brown), starring as Kyle Connor, and Theo Barklem-Biggs (The Inbetweeners Movie, Silk) playing his friend Paul ‘Budgie’ Griffiths.
A pair of 20-something friends from London, they are travelling the world looking for sun, fun and adventure. Kyle even got himself a Maori-style tattoo, excited about their eventual destination: the Cook Islands.
When snorkelling in a lagoon, Kyle finds the body of a local girl, Aumea, tied up underwater - dead. Returning to the lagoon with the police, Kyle finds her corpse has disappeared. But Kyle knows what he saw. Desperate to uncover what happened, Kyle and Budgie find themselves sucked deeper and deeper into a world of Maori myths, symbols, and hallucinatory visions…until finally the full meaning of Kyle’s tattoo is revealed.
Joe Layton says: “I’m thrilled to be part of this original British drama. With such a talented production team behind it I can’t wait to help bring Richard's fantastic scripts to life.”
Theo Barklem-Biggs adds: “I'm so excited to be a part of this unique project. The script is based on real Maori mythology, it has everything in it - romance, comedy, smuggling, mystery. I’m also really looking forward to working with such a great team – everyone from the producers to the directors, right down to the cast are spot on. Not to mention we're filming in paradise!”
Rob Pursey, executive producer for Touchpaper TV says: “‘We are so excited to have a cast that combines some of the UK’s brightest new acting talent with the very best New Zealand actors, including a large Polynesian contingent.”
Matthew Read, executive producer for the BBC adds: “It is wonderful to be working with such a talented team and with such new and promising cast to bring this fantastic original series to BBC Three and BBC America.”
Richard De Croce, SVP Programming, BBC America, said: “Tatau is backed by a hugely talented group of partners and brings something totally new, vibrant and provocative to the channel’s upcoming programming slate. Tatau is certainly going to spice things up on BBC America.”
Joe and Theo are joined by Dutch actor, Barry Atsma, as well as various New Zealand actors. These include actresses Shushila Takao, Cian Elyse White and Tai Berdinner-Blades, and actors Temuera Morrison, Alex Tarrant, Rawiri Jobe, Kirk Torrance and Rangimoana Taylor.
Richard Zajdlic, creator and writer of Tatau, and Rob Pursey are the executive producers for Touchpaper TV, John Barnett and Chris Bailey for South Pacific Pictures in New Zealand and Matthew Read for the BBC. John Rushton is producer and Wayne Yip is lead director.
Filming started in September 2014 and is taking place in the Cook Islands and New Zealand.
CI
