Could new crime drama be the Gaelic Squid Game?

Global hits such as Squid Game and Money Heist have shown language is no barrier to international success - now the stars of a new thriller are hoping Gaelic can translate just as well.

An t-Eilean (The Island) is the UK's first ever high-end Gaelic drama series, set around an unsolved murder and mysterious family secrets, with episodes costing more than £1m to make.

Star Sorcha Groundsell believes the show - which begins on BBC Alba at 21:00 -can help keep the language alive.

She said: "There's an open mindedness, in the world now, to foreign language dramas, to cultures that are not necessarily perceived as mainstream."

The four episodes follow a murder investigation on Lewis and Harris after the brutal murder of the wife of powerful businessman Sir Douglas Maclean during an apparent botched burglary.

Sorcha's character Kat Crichton, a young family liaison officer with "a lot of baggage", returns to the islands from Inverness to help with the investigation into Lady Mary's death.

However, she has her own complicated history with Sir Douglas and his children, and as the investigation goes on finds herself being drawn into a dangerous game tracking a killer.

The actress, who has appeared in the likes of His Dark Materials and Shetland, feels it is "high time" that a big budget Gaelic drama like An t-Eilean - filled with mystery, violence and plot twists - was made.

"In the Gaelic world, I think, we have been underserved in a lot of ways," she says.

"We are not given time and government funding and attention in the way that we really should be. And I think it is really an inspiring time and a necessary time to really like take ownership of our language and our culture and celebrate it for what it is."

Harrow-born actor Sagar Radia, who plays Kat's DCI Ahmed Halim, believes people will watch a show no matter the language, as long as it's good quality.

"If the story is good, then the viewers will come," he adds.

"We've seen that with things like Money Heist, we've seen that with Call My Agent, and we've seen that with Squid Game - these are three different shows from three different parts of the world and ultimately they found an audience.

"If we're even half as lucky to achieve the success they did, I think we're in a good place."

The production mixes English and Gaelic, with Amhuinnsuidhe Castle, external on the Western Isles serving as a centrepiece location - where the cast stayed for several weeks while filming.

For Iain Macrae, who plays the figure of Sir Douglas, the show let him return back to the Isle of Harris, where he grew up.

"It's been slightly surreal, I've got to confess, getting up very early in the morning and travelling to work and seeing all the mountains and glens and the lochs and the sea beside you" he says.

"I was interested in the drama because it's something that hasn't been done much in Gaelic before, which is dealing with murder and extreme violence."

The conflict and history between Kat and Sir Douglas lies at the heart of the show, but woven alongside that are the twisted family dynamics of the four MacLean children - each with their own agendas.

"They're all coming back to try and figure out what happened," adds Sam James Smith, who plays Ruaraidh Maclean.

"Ultimately, it's a story about connection between family, what we owe each other as family members, and what we're willing to do to protect people in our family."

The show brought with it opportunities for locals too - including Andrew Macinnes, who landed the role of Calum Maclean despite having no acting experience.

"I saw a casting call for this programme, and it said, 'Gaelic speakers wanted, with no experience'" he recalls.

"I thought, well, that's me. And I just thought I'd give it a go because there was no way I was going to get it, but thought, why not try?

"The first time I had a big scene, it was really daunting, because it's not just the camera crew watching, there's everybody there, from make-up artists to sound engineers, and if felt like I had 40 pairs of eyes on me at once. But it's amazing how quickly you actually get used to that."

The majority of the cast have considerable more experience on screen, but had their own issues to deal with.

Sorcha grew up on on the Isle of Lewis before moving to Glasgow, and found herself being tested with her Gaelic as she played Kat - a character she called "multi-layered".

"It's been really wonderful working in Gaelic, but it has been a challenge for those of us who are not the Gaelic old school, as it's something that we struggle to use in our day-to-day lives.

"A lot of us don't have primarily Gaelic speaking families, and so I think a lot of us are feeling some pressure about our levels of fluency, but if anything that makes it all the more important to participate in a show like this.

"We have to reconnect, to keep it alive and to keep it breathing."

That sentiment is shared by her on-screen nemesis.

Iain Macrae is optimistic that success for An t-Eilean could open the doors for further Gaelic programming to go across the globe in the future.

"I think it's important for the rest of the world, if you can put it that way, to see that Gaelic drama is valid," he says.

"We have good stories to tell."