Cardiff-set drama picks up International Emmy Award

Stephen Price

Cardiff-set drama Lost Boys & Fairies flew the flag for Wales at last night’s International Emmy Awards, taking home the prize for Best TV Movie/Mini Series.

The BBC took three prizes at the 2025 International Emmy Awards: Hell Jumper for Documentary; Ludwig for Comedy and Lost Boys & Fairies for TV movie/mini series.

BBC Two’s Hell Jumper, from Expectation, won the award for Best Documentary. It tells the story of the war in Ukraine captured through the eyes and the extraordinary first-person footage of a group of volunteers saving strangers’ lives in one of the most dangerous places on Earth.

At the heart of the film is 28-year-old Chris Parry from Cornwall who without telling his family, decided to head to Ukraine where he met other civilian ‘evacuators’ from all over the world. The so-called ‘Hell Jumpers’ crowdfunded vehicles and equipment to help people escape their homes.

Chris died alongside another volunteer Andrew Bagshaw, as they tried to help evacuate a woman from an area of heavy bombardment in eastern Ukraine. Hell Jumper remembers Chris’ extraordinary story and hears from his family and fellow excavators.

Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries, said: “It’s great that Chris Parry’s story has been acknowledged with an International Emmy. Documentaries like Hell Jumper offer an antidote to an increasingly polarised world, where our differences are amplified. By taking us inside the real human experience, they have the power to open our minds and our hearts.”

The critically acclaimed BBC Comedy detective series, Ludwig, won Best Comedy Series. Ludwig is created and written by Mark Brotherhood and produced by Big Talk Studios (part of ITV Studios), in collaboration with That Mitchell and Webb Company. Series one of the binge-worthy comedy-drama was the BBC’s biggest scripted show of last year (2024), and the biggest launch for a comedy since at least 2018, with Episode One attracting over 11.4 million viewers according to the latest data.

Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy, said: “Ludwig’s Best Comedy Series win at the International Emmy Awards is testament to the incredibly hard working team behind the show; including David Mitchell, Anna Maxwell Martin and all of the hugely talented cast. It’s fantastic that the popularity and success of Ludwig here in the UK has been recognised at such a prestigious level internationally too. Audiences will soon be treated to more laughs, as clever puzzle solving and gripping murder mystery return with the second series shaping up to be just as stand out as the first.”

Lost Boys & Fairies

Filmed and set in Cardiff, Lost Boys & Fairies is a ‘coming of middle-age’ story, both bold and deeply heart-wrenching, filled to the brim with humour, redemption, and love.

The series was developed as part of BBC Writers TV Drama Writers’ Programme 2019 and made with support from Creative Wales.

The three-part series, now available in full on BBC iPlayer, tells the glittering story of Gabriel (Sion Daniel Young), a singer and artiste-extraordinaire at Cardiff’s queer club-space ‘Neverland’, his partner Andy (Fra Fee), and their journey to adoption.

The couple long to adopt a child but to do so they must convince their social worker Jackie (Elizabeth Berrington) that they’re up to the task.

“Key character”

Filmed in and around  Cardiff across 11 different well-known locations – from Womanby and Bute Street to Canton and Cosmeston Lakes – series producer Adam Knopf has described the city itself as a key character, whose personality shines through this ‘coming of middle age’ story.

Speaking ahead of the final episode airing on 17 June, Adam said: “Lost Boys & Fairies is a real love letter to Cardiff. As the inspiration for the series came from the life and adoption experiences of Daf James – our series’ creator and exec producer – it was only ever going to be set in Cardiff. We wanted to be truly faithful to the city in that sense, so that it was a genuine portrayal.

“We also wanted the scenes to be relatable and familiar – not just in terms of locations but when it came to the city’s queer community itself. There was a sense of wanting to showcase a different side to Cardiff through the locations and storytelling. In doing so, we wanted to give the community some sort of ownership. We are so proud to have achieved that and to have created something that is a tender and true-to-life representation of this wonderful, diverse city of ours.”

“Small but mighty”

He continued: “More widely, we had a real commitment to using Welsh talent in every area – from costume design, to music production, to make-up. That we were able to draw from world-class talent, right where we were, really is testament to the level of skill here in Wales.

“Having the support of Creative Wales in getting the series off the ground, and tapping into and developing a strong talent base, was also key.”

“Wales continues to live up to its small but mighty reputation on screen, and it is our hope that Lost Boys & Fairies enjoys the type of success that will open doors to similar opportunities in Wales.

“It is without a doubt a series Cardiff and Wales can be very proud of, which broaches themes around parenting and children in a manner as joyful as it is heart breaking.”

Iconic locations

Gerwyn Evans, Deputy Director of Creative Wales, added: “The affectionate billing of Lost Boys & Fairies as a ‘love letter to Cardiff’ is entirely fitting, for the way it weaves the city’s iconic landmarks and locations into the story.

“This includes the capital’s music hub Womanby Street, the iconic LGBTQ+ venue The Golden Cross, and the beloved ‘Billy the Seal’ in Victoria Park.”

“Creative Wales’ support for Lost Boys & Fairies helped to ensure that for every pound invested, £12 was put directly back into the Welsh economy, and also ensured the creation of 13 trainee and professional up-skilling opportunities on set.

“We are hugely proud to have supported this production, it tells an important story and has received a wonderful reaction so far. Creative Wales is committed to its mission of helping production companies – both indies and international – to choose Wales as their location to create high quality content for local and global audiences.”

11 locations used in Lost Boys & Fairies

Brod, Canton

Head over to delicious Danish bakery, Brod, for a tasty treat in the heart of Canton as you walk the same streets as the talented cast of Lost Boys & Fairies.

Bute Street, Cardiff Bay

Bute Street located in the captivating Cardiff Bay acts as ‘Neverland’, the main queer club in which Gabriel performs as a singer in the series.

Capel Bethlehem, Gwaelod-y-Garth

In the midst of Taff’s Well, the impressive Capel Bethlehem was used in the series to chart scenes from Gabriel’s past.

 Cosmeston Lakes

With gorgeous greenery spanning over 100 hectares, Cosmeston Lakes hosted the stars of Lost Boys & Fairies as they progressed their adoption journey.

Golden Cross Pub

The Golden Cross pub was a firm favourite of the Lost Boys & Fairies characters who visited the familiar spot for a night out.

Salem Chapel

The towering Salem Chapel, in the heart of Canton, is where the scenes showing Gabriel’s story in the present day were filmed. 

Taff’s Mead Embankment Underpass

On the outskirts of the city centre, Taff’s Mead Embankment Underpassenables views of the vast city-scape of Cardiff, as well as hosting the significant attack scene in the series.

Victoria Park

Victoria Park was a key location in the series as Gabriel and Andy embark on their adoption journey, with Billy the Seal also featuring heavily in the series. 

Womanby Street, Cardiff Castle

Not only is Womanby Street home to Cardiff Castle, which dates all the way back to 55AD, but it’s also where the iconic kiss scene in Lost Boys & Fairies takes place.

Ysgol Treganna

Used in the series, Ysgol Treganna serves as a reminder of how schools across the country are providing a safe space for children to learn and develop as well as opening their doors to film productions too.

Lost Boys and Fairies also scooped five awards at the Bafta Cymru film and TV awards ceremony back in October, ahead of the international recognition on the American stage.

Siôn Daniel Young, who plays one half of a gay couple trying to adopt a child, won best actor for the musical drama, which was also awarded prizes for writing, editing and directing and best television drama.

Director of BBC Drama Lindsay Salt said: “Lost Boys & Fairies is a joyous and emotional story of adoption which won the hearts of BBC viewers. We are thrilled that it has won an International Emmy and want to thank writer Daf James, director James Kent, the team at Duck Soup Films and the cast and crew for making such a brilliant, meaningful show.”