Lost Boys and Fairies: The three-part series from Daf James concludes

Described by James as a “drama with music, that explores the themes of parents and children told against the backdrop of gay adoption, set in Cardiff … [and] also a love story”, it has been charting the story of Gabriel, a performer at Cardiff’s queer club-space Neverland, his partner Andy, and their journey to adoption.

Crucially, it has also been describing Gabriel’s past, a childhood full of demons which he has long buried but will have to face head-on before he can contemplate starting a family of his own.

Gabriel is played with flair, charm, and real, heartbreaking nuance by Sion Daniel Young, whom we saw recently in the thriller miniseries Deceit – but this is undoubtedly Young’s biggest role to date.

It’s a role he relished, particularly given the vast range of tone that the show takes on –from emotional devastation to joyous celebration. The latter is particularly evident during the club scenes, which required Young to perform.

“Performing the songs, it is a different world”, he said of filming the series. “I think that’s what is really nice about this show – the theatrical element and the performative side, and then the more domestic stuff. In terms of filming the performances it’s all storytelling. All the songs are there for a reason, they’re part of Gabriel’s journey.

“I enjoyed those scenes more than I thought I would actually. I really enjoyed the world we all created with the costumes. The energy that we had [in] Neverland was really special and made all the performance scenes really fun”.

Given such variation in storytelling style, it must presumably have broad appeal?

“I think it’s got a little something for everyone. I also think it’s going to take people by surprise because I don’t think people will foresee the journey that the characters go on. It’s totally joyous, it’s also absolutely heart-breaking – a real gut punch”.

That’s something that Fra Fee, who plays Gabriel’s partner Andy, feels too. He said: “There is an amazing musical element to this story because, of course, Gabriel is a performer. That aspect of his life is beautifully and amazingly realised in the in the telling of it.

“We have these realistic performances where we cut to Gabriel performing at Neverland, but we also have moments in which the musical part of telling this story is a fantasy, imaginative moment. This is great because it means that I get to take part because Andy is not a performer, he’s not a musical person but he can be in Gabriel’s imagination”.

It’s not all sparkle and glamour, though. This week’s finale picks up as the repercussions of prior events look sure to change both Andy and Gabe’s lives for ever. And not only that, but it also puts the adoption in jeopardy.

And at the heart of this is young Jake (Leo Harris) – will this lost boy ever find his forever home?