Daf James says the experience of adopting two children changed his world so profoundly that he "couldn’t not write about it". He describes the journey as "beautiful, extraordinary, remarkable" and says he faced a "complex well of emotions" on the road to parenthood with his husband. For the Welsh writer, representation was also at the forefront of his mind when he sat down to write his new BBC series Lost Boys and Fairies, inspired by his real-life experience of gay adoption.
The three-parter is billed as the "tender, glittering" story of queer club performer Gabriel (Sion Daniel Young) and partner Andy (Fra Fee) as they try to become parents. READ MORE: BBC Lost Boys and Fairies: cast, what it's about and how many episodes there are The Cardiff-set series begins with the couple being interviewed by Jackie, their social worker at the first stage of the adoption process. Flashbacks then reveal how they managed to get to this point - but Gabriel has demons to fight in the form of decades of shame about being gay in a society hostile to his sexuality and a difficult relationship with his own father.
Daf says: "My husband and I first adopted eight years ago now. When we went through this process my world changed forever as a human, but also as an artist. I felt like I hadn't seen adoption represented authentically on screen, so it's something I feel really passionate about bringing to the television.
"That first year after adopting my kids was a challenging period because I wen.