Tatau BBC Three cast list, start date, filming locations and plot: Brand-new drama starring Joe Layton as Kyle, Shushila Takao as Aumea and Theo Barklem-Biggs as Budgie.
When does Tatau start on BBC3?
The UK air date and start time for episode 1 of Tatau has now been officially set for Sunday 12 April 2015 at 10:00pm on BBC Three. The show will also be broadcast in the US on BBC America.
Tatau lead BBC cast members: Budgie (THEO BARKLEM-BIGGS), Kyle (JOE LAYTON), Aumea Vaipiti (SHUSHILA TAKAO) – Image Credit: BBC/Touchpaper/South Pacific Pictures/Matt Burlem. Photographer: Kirsty Griffin
Written by Richard Zajdlic, Tatau scheduled to air on BBC3 over 8, 45-minute episodes, The show became the first drama to be commissioned for the channel since the BAFTA Award-winning ‘In the Flesh’.
Tatau BBC Three Cast List
Character Name – Actor/Actress
Kyle Connor – Joe Layton
Paul ‘Budgie’ Griffiths – Theo Barklem-Biggs (Silk, Crims, The Fades, The Guilty, A Touch of Cloth, EastEnders)
Aumea Vaipiti – Shushila Takao
Anaru – Temuera Morrison (Once Were Warriors – Jake The Muss, Star Wars movies, Speed 2: Cruise Control, Shortland Street)
Lara – Cian Elyse White
Tyler – Tai Berdinner Blades (Go Girls)
Maui – Alexander Tarrant
Reverend Calcott – Kirk Torrance (Outrageous Fortune, Holly’s Heroes, The Almighty Johnsons)
Koringo – Rawiri Jobe (Step Dave)
Dries – Barry Atsma (Rozengeur & Wodka Lime, Van Gogh; Een huis voor Vincent, Hart tegen Hard, Voetbalvrouwen)
Chief Matikutu – Rangimoana Taylor
Tyler (TAI BERDINNER-BLADES) – Image Credit: BBC/Touchpaper/South Pacific Pictures/Matt Burlem. Photographer: Kirsty Griffin
Where was Tatau filmed for the BBC?
In addition to being set on the Cook Islands, the main Tatau BBC filming location was in fact the largest of this South Pacific island group, Rarotonga. Not a bad place to film a television series, this tropical island paradise understandably proves a desirable holiday destination for tourists from all over the world. The video below takes a look behind the scenes of the Tatau filming from the point of view of the Rarotonga locals:
Tatau Series Plot
Keen to take in as many cultures and experiences as possible, Kyle Connor and Pete ‘Budgie’ Griffiths are friends from London travelling the world, looking for sun, fun and adventure. Excited about their eventual destination, the Cook Islands, Kyle even gets himself a Maori-style tattoo done before setting off.
Upon arrival, Kyle becomes unsettled by the natives reaction to the tattoo, with it clearly holding some significance he was unaware of. It’s as if Kyle’s been marked out for something, but what? Later witnessing a murder that doesn’t appear to have even happened, he begins to display precognitive powers.
Commenting on the commissioning of the new series, BBC Drama Controller Ben Stephenson said: “From the makers of Being Human, Tatau is an ambitious new BBC Three drama series that will raise the bar for viewers of the channel who have a real appetite for distinctive stories from all different worlds.” This announcement suggested that despite being set to close in the autumn of 2015, the Beeb remain committed to providing quality, original programming on BBC Three.
Co-produced by South Pacific Pictures and Touchpaper TV in association with BBC America, filming for Tatau began in September 2014.
