BBC Three’s new eight part drama series Tatau will star New Worlds’ Joe Layton and Silk’s Theo Barklem-Biggs as a pair of friends travelling the world who become entangled in Maori myths, symbols and hallucinatory visions.

Written by Richard Zajdlic, Tatau is co-produced by Touchpaper TV (makers of Being Human) and New Zealand’s largest screen production company, South Pacific Pictures, for BBC Three and BBC America.

Layton plays Kyle Connor, who gets himself a Maori-style tattoo during his travels around the world with his friend Paul “Budgie” Griffiths.

Arriving in the Cook Islands, Kyle finds the body of a local girl, Aumea, tied up underwater – dead. Returning to the lagoon with the police, Kyle finds her corpse has disappeared. But Kyle knows what he saw. Desperate to uncover what happened, Kyle and Budgie find themselves sucked deeper and deeper into a world of Maori myths, symbols, and hallucinatory visions…  until finally the full meaning of Kyle’s tattoo is revealed.

Layton and Barklem-Biggs are joined by Dutch actor, Barry Atsma, as well as various New Zealand actors. These include actresses Shushila Takao, Cian Elyse White and Tai Berdinner-Blades, and actors Temuera Morrison, Alex Tarrant, Rawiri Jobe, Kirk Torrance and Rangimoana Taylor.

Joe Layton commented: “I’m thrilled to be part of this original British drama. With such a talented production team behind it I can’t wait to help bring Richard’s fantastic scripts to life.” 

Theo Barklem-Biggs added: “I’m so excited to be a part of this unique project. The script is based on real Maori mythology, it has everything in it – romance, comedy, smuggling, mystery. I’m also really looking forward to working with such a great team – everyone from the producers to the directors, right down to the cast are spot on. Not to mention we’re filming in paradise!”

Rob Pursey, executive producer for Touchpaper TV noted: “‘We are so excited to have a cast that combines some of the UK’s brightest new acting talent with the very best New Zealand actors including a large Polynesian contingent.”

Filming is now underway in the Cook Islands and New Zealand.