Highly-anticipated Welsh Viagra drama ‘Men Up’ to hit screens this Friday

Men Up featuring a wealth of Welsh talent in the remarkable true story of the drug that would later become Viagra hits TV screens this Friday 29 December.

The highly-anticipated drama tells the story of five ordinary Welshmen who embark on an extraordinary journey when they take part in the trial of a new drug.

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 was written by Matthew Barry (Industry, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) and is coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 9pm on Friday 29 December.

All-star cast

The stellar lineup includes Iwan Rheon (Wolf, Game of Thrones, Misfits), Aneurin Barnard (Dunkirk, The Pact), Phaldut Sharma (Sherwood, Romantic Getaway), Paul Rhys (A Discovery of Witches, Rellick), Steffan Rhodri (House of the Dragon, Temple), Mark Lewis Jones (Gangs of London, The Phantom of the Open), and Joanna Page (Gavin & Stacey, Dolittle)

As previously announced, the drama also stars Alex Roach (Killing Eve, Sanditon, No Offence), Alexandria 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).

The real 1994 trial not only transformed the lives of the medics and patients involved; but also changed the lives of millions worldwide. The drug quickly became one of the most controversial and profitable in history, reshaping how we talk about sexual and mental health in the process.

In this fictionalised account, Meurig (Iwan Rheon) yearns for intimacy with his wife, Ffion (Alex Roach). He loves her with all his heart but feels trapped by his inability to rekindle the spark in their marriage. He’ll do anything to reignite the flames. Anything but talk to her.

There’s Tommy (Paul Rhys), a gay man who desperately lies about his sexuality because the trial was set up for straight sex. Spurred on by his friend and clinical nurse Moira Davies (Joanna Page), how far will his lies go to find happiness?

Colin (Steffan Rhodri) lives an isolated life with his crossword puzzles after his wife’s death. He thinks he’s found the one in Teresa (Lisa Palfrey), his phone pal from the Lonely Hearts column. But when she asks to meet in person, fear sets in. It’s been so long since he’s been with a woman. What if she wants to consummate their budding romance?

Peetham ‘Pete’ Shah (Phaldut Sharma) has a seemingly perfect middle-class existence. A nice job, a wonderful wife in Alys (Alexandria Riley) who has a new lust for life hosting lingerie and sex toy parties. But they’ve lost their spark. Blaming his impotency, he sees a fix-all problem in this tiny white pill (which didn’t become blue until much later). Can it shrink the gulf between them?

And there’s Eddie (Mark Lewis Jones), a ‘bulldog of a bloke’. A seemingly strong man but beneath the surface is a vulnerability.

Important message

Men Up explores the fragilities of the characters 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.

Men Up has been described as a “funny, frank drama about masculinity, mental health, family, friendship and love”.

Matthew Barry, Writer and Executive Producer said: “This is a drama about one of the first ever anti-impotency drug trials in the world. But it’s not really about that, it’s about these men, mental health and their wellbeing.”

Actor, Iwan Rheon said: “I think everyone will recognise themselves or someone that they know in these characters. There’s so many wonderful character dynamics and a cross section of Welsh society. Everyone will enjoy the wonderful moments of drama and pathos that is cut by this wonderful humour that the script’s got in it. It’s going to be fun, very heartwarming, quite sad at times and has a very important message.”

With filming taking place in Wales, he added: “It was great filming in Wales. I’ve worked in Wales a lot recently, so it was lovely. I’ve filmed a lot of cycling on the Mumbles which has been nice, there’s worse places! It’s great – I love working in Wales.”

Touchy subject

The topic of impotence and its impact on mental health is often a taboo subject for men, something Iwan felt was important to tackle with this production. He shared: “Most people will know that through lack of communication and expressing your emotions, people drift apart, and you can become lonely and it’s a really dangerous thing. Suicide is one of the main killers of men, and it’s something that we need to address as men.

“I believe Welsh men, in particular, are bad at expressing their feelings as I know quite well being one myself! It’s something I certainly work on, and I think it’s really important. We need to try to just get over the fact that we’re worried that someone’s going to laugh at you for something and you need to deal with these things.”

Men Up has received Welsh Government support via Creative Wales and is produced in association with Cineflix Rights as exclusive worldwide distribution partner. Quay Street Productions and Boom are both part of ITV Studios.

You can catch Men Up on BBC1 this Friday (29 December) at 9pm and on iPlayer shortly afterwards.