The BBC has released a trailer and set a December premiere date for ‘Men Up‘, a drama about five ordinary Welshmen who embark on an extraordinary journey when they take part in the trial of a new drug which would later become Viagra.
Co-commissioned with BBC Wales and made by Quay Street Productions and Boom, ‘Men Up’ is inspired by the remarkable true story of one of the world’s first medical trials for the drug, held in Swansea’s Morriston Hospital in 1994. The feature-length drama is written by Matthew Barry (Industry, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina).
Mixing drama with humour, Men Up is a poignant and beautiful story in which a group of unassuming men rise to the challenge to reclaim their sex lives. In this fictionalised account, Men Up follows Meurig (Iwan Rheon – Wolf, Game of Thrones, Misfits), Colin (Steffan Rhodri – House of the Dragon, Temple), Tommy (Paul Rhys – A Discovery of Witches, Rellick), Peetham ‘Pete’ (Phaldut Sharma – Sherwood, Romantic Getaway) and Eddie (Mark Lewis Jones – Gangs of London, The Phantom of the Open) in pursuit of their ultimate reward… the return of a romantic connection in their lives. But as the drug brings the hope of a return to that once-lost intimacy, the men realise the hard work has only just begun. The trial will take them to some very unexpected places and force them to re-assess their lives.
The 90-minute drama also stars Alex Roach (Killing Eve, Sanditon, No Offence), Joanna Page (Gavin & Stacey, Dolittle), Alex Riley (The Pembrokeshire Murders, The Pact), Nathan Sussex (It’s A Sin, Hollyoaks), Lisa Palfrey (Sex Education, COBRA), Dyfan Dwyfor (A Very English Scandal, Requiem) and Katy Wix (Ghosts, Stath Lets Flats).
‘Men Up’ is written by Matthew Barry, directed by Ashley Way (White Lines, Stella, Merlin), and produced by Karen Lewis (The Salisbury Poisonings, Years and Years, Happy Valley). The executive producers are Nicola Shindler (Nolly, It’s A Sin, Happy Valley) and Davina Earl (Safe, Come Home) for Quay Street Productions, Rachel Evans (35 Diwrnod/35 Days, How This Blind Girl…) for Boom, Matthew Barry, Russell T Davies (Nolly, It’s A Sin, Doctor Who), Rebecca Ferguson for the BBC and Nick Andrews for BBC Wales.
‘Men Up‘ premieres Friday, 29th December 2023 at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
