Daniel Young as wannabe parent Gabriel in Lost Boys and Fairies. (BBC/Duck Soup Films/Simon Ridgway)
Sion Daniel Young is one half of the gay Welsh couple in the BBC’s new queer adoption drama, Lost Boys and Fairies.
The 34-year-old actor plays Gabriel in the new three-part drama, he’s a singer and performance artist extraordinaire.
Gabriel has been with his partner Andy (played by out gay Irish actor Fra Fee) for eight years and they both are ready to become fathers and adopt a child. However, they must first prove to their social worker, Jackie (Elizabeth Berrington), that they are ready.
As Gabriel’s past is unearthed, traumatic memories derail the process and jeopardise their future.
Lost Boys and Fairies marks BBC One’s first-ever primetime bilingual English/Welsh drama. Alongside Young and Fey, Red, White & Royal Blue’s Sharon D Clarke and Orphan Black’s Maria Doyle Kennedy co-star.
In an interview with The Independent, Young shared that Lost Boys & Fairies – created by writer Daf James and directed by James Kent – marks a milestone.
“I can’t believe it’s taken until 2024 for a Welsh bilingual drama on primetime,” Young noted.
What has Sion Daniel Young starred in?
Alongside his starring role in Lost Boys and Fairies, Sion Young has an extensive TV and theatre career.
The Cardiff-born actor, who is a first-language Welsh speaker, was also the star of Daf James’ play Llwyth (Tribe), which was celebrated as a pioneering piece of theatre as it was the first play about gay characters written by a queer person on a Welsh-language stage.
Young also starred in the lead role of Albert Narracott in the National Theatre’s production of War Horse.
In 2015, he also starred Christopher in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
Drawing on his Welsh roots, Young played Gethin in BBC Three’s 2019 drama The Left Behind.
In series three of Apple TV+’s Slow Horses, Young played Douglas, an MI5 records keeper.
What is Daniel Young’s sexuality?
Despite playing a gay wannabe parent in Lost Boys and Fairies, Young is not gay.
“It’s just love between two people who are so desperate to root for each other and for everything to be OK,” he told The Independent about his role in the BBC drama.
“If I wasn’t the person Daf James wanted, then I wouldn’t be playing the part. It’s really straightforward for me.”
Despite the continued discourse around straight actors playing gay roles, Young locates his Lost Boys and Fairies role as one rooted in universal themes of wanting to start a family with someone you love.
Lost Boys and Fairies is available on BBC One and iPlayer on 3 June at 9pm