Harley Young joined acclaimed writer Helen Walsh and cast for a special showing ahead of its TV release tonight
From the award-winning World Productions (Line of Duty, Save Me and Vigil), comes brand new thriller series, The Gathering, airing tonight on Channel 4.
Set in and around Liverpool and Merseyside, the six-parter features panoramas of iconic city landmarks and hones in on the trials and tribulations of a local teenage group of friends.
Gritty, witty and beautifully shot, this series takes what it is to be a teen and flips it on its head. It leans into the controversial and provocative, examining sex lives, loyalties and rivalries during those formative years where identities blossom. It poses the age-old question; as a society, do we give our children too much freedom and responsibility or not enough?
Gareth Bryn was very particular and clever in the way he timed the light so when you watch those clips it's pretty magical. But I think Liverpool is, so there you go.
Written by Warrington-born acclaimed novelist Helen Walsh, The Gathering sees the award-winning writer make her television debut.
“Everything starts with the characters. The characters in The Gathering, especially the parents, are perhaps inevitably, unconsciously informed by people you’ve met,” said Helen, adding “You start to test those characters out and certain themes begin to emerge. One of them was the idea of control and freedom.
“How much freedom do we give our teens? Do we give them too much freedom? Do we give them enough? Do we judge other parents on how much freedom they give their children? I think this idea is something that all the parents in [the show] are battling with to some extent.”
Eva Morgan, who plays lead character Kelly, landed her part in The Gathering as her first break-out role. She described getting the call back as “very, very special”.
“I remember specifically that I was in London at the time. I was trying to work it out as I didn’t fully understand the scale of it. Trying to tell my mum and dad who are non-actors was interesting but I remember my dad saying to me ‘You’ve got your first role and you’re coming home.’ and that really struck something in me,” she said.
She went on to mention that her favourite scene to film was one where her character and Bazi (Luca Kamleh-Chapman) were riding a bike together through the streets of Liverpool.
“Cinematically I feel like it reflects the feelings I felt when I was filming it. [Lead Director] Gareth Bryn was very particular and clever in the way he timed the light so when you watch those clips it's pretty magical. But I think Liverpool is, so there you go.”
Simon Heath, Executive Producer at World Productions said that working with younger talent and finding new local actors, like the ones who feature in The Gathering is a real key factor to making shows like this work.
“[The Gathering] captures the kind of spirit of teenagers which now feels so different to my experience growing up. To be shooting something in Liverpool - it’s just such a fantastic place to shoot in…Just seeing the thing, it’s a testament to the fantastic team as it looks so vibrant,” said Simon. “The range of locations we were able to source up here and the talents, even in the tiniest roles, you think ‘Wow, I must get them in something else.’ It was a fantastic experience.”
Watch the trailer below.
Tune into Channel 4 tonight at 9pm to watch the first episode of The Gathering. You can watch the full box set on 4OD now.
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