Somewhere Boy is the intriguing story of Danny, who has spent his entire life in isolation at a remote house with his father Steve. At 18 Danny discovers that he’s been living a lie and the outside world is not full of murderous monsters, as he's been led to believe.
It emerges that Steve absconded with Danny when he was a baby after his mum was killed in a car crash in a warped bid to keep his son safe. As sheltered Danny becomes older he begins to question their life, leading to revelations, which may make or break him as he faces the real world.
Lewis Gribben stars as Danny, Rory Keenan plays Danny’s dad Steve, Lisa McGrillis plays Sue (Steve’s sister and Danny’s aunt) and Samuel Bottomley stars as Aaron, Danny’s cousin and Sue’s son.
From C4 press: “Overwhelmed with grief, dad Steve bought a house in the middle of nowhere and locked Danny in, telling him the world outside was full of monsters waiting to take him away. Just like they took his mum.
“Steve thought he’d done the right thing, bringing Danny up safe and warm, away from murderers and wars and drugs and governments and burgers and evil.
“For eighteen years they just stayed in, listening to Benny Goodman records and watching old movies with no sad endings. And that’s how Danny grew up. It was all he knew. And he was happy.
“But when Danny turns eighteen his whole world — everything he’s ever known - explodes in an instant and he has to come to terms with a new world he never knew existed.”
Somewhere Boy release date
Somewhere Boy is an eight-part series, airing on C4 from 16 - 19 October 2022. It is also available on All4 in boxset from 16 October 2022.
An international release has yet to be confirmed.
And signs of a second season look promising. See below for creator and cast quotes on Somewhere Boy series 2.
Who’s who in Somewhere Boy
Main cast and characters
Three actors star as Danny at different stages of his life:
Danny age 18 (Lewis Gribben)
Having spent his life in complete isolation with his father, Danny’s reality comes crashing down when he’s introduced to the world outside his house.
Older Danny is played by Lewis Gribben, best known for his debut as a drug dealer in 2017’s T2 Trainspotting and TV dramas Deadwater Fell, Silent Witness and Shetland.
Speaking about his character to WTW Lewis said: "Danny has been trapped in this house for years with his dad and he’s very curious about the outside world. Steve has told him it’s full of monsters and danger. And, while he loves his dad, he’s also desperate to experience the outside world."
Danny age 7 (Samuel McKenna)
TV newcomer Samuel McKenna stars as Danny when he is a trusting seven-year-old.
Danny age 13 (Austin Haynes)
Young teenage Danny is played by Austin Haynes, who has starred in The A Word, Gentleman Jack, All Creatures Great and Small, Dodger and The Railway Children Return.
Chatting about playing one of three Dannys, Lewis said: "I was blown away by Samuel and Austin. They’re both really good. I was like, I have to follow that up somehow!? If Rory has a favourite, I’m third, I know that for fact!"
Steve (Rory Keenan)
Grief-stricken Steve is played by Rory Keenan best known for his roles in Peaky Blinders, War & Peace, Striking Out, Versailles, The Duchess and Rules of the Game. As the series unfolds, viewers discover the extraordinary lengths Steve goes to in order to perpetuate his lies in his single-minded determination to keep his son safe.
Speaking to us about his character Rory said: "The scripts are really strong and it does a clever thing of taking this almost absurd notion and crashing it into contemporary life. We know early on that Steve’s a man experiencing some sort of psychological dysfunction. As the story plays out you realise even more about this past and the effect of losing his wife. "
Sue (Lisa McGrillis)
Mum-of-three Sue is Danny’s aunt and Steve’s sister, played by Lisa McGrillis, best known for Hebburn, Inspector George Gently, No Offence, Mum, and King Gary.
From C4 Press: “Danny is taken to live with his well-meaning but stressed-out aunt Sue and his socially awkward 18-year-old cousin Aaron.”
Speaking about Sue, Lisa added: "I play auntie Sue. She's got two younger children, has remarried again, and Aaron is her teenage son. She's a pretty decent person, working class. She feels a huge responsibility to help Danny, as he comes out of the house."
Aaron (Samuel Bottomley)
Aaron is played by Samuel Bottomley, best known for Wolf Hall, Jericho, Ackley Bridge, The Teacher, and Ladhood.
Channel 4 press reveals: “Aaron is a shy and awkward eighteen-year-old, desperately in need of a friend, but his very strange cousin definitely wasn’t who he had in mind.
“While Aaron grew up watching YouPorn and YouTube, Danny was raised on a diet of The Lavender Hill Mob, Brief Encounter and The Red Shoes. Living with Danny is a massive eye-opener for Aaron, seeing the world through his cousin’s eyes.
“Slowly, tentatively, both Danny and Aaron start to emerge from their shells together — as Danny tries to find the real monster, the one that killed his mother…”
Speaking about Danny and Aaron's relationship, Samuel told us:
"I think Aaron is quite by embarrassed about Danny when he first turns up. Aaron's not a very confident character and he doesn’t really need anything else going against him in how people perceive him; he's quite worried his street cred will get even further knocked down by Danny. But that fresh outlook that Danny brings is good. Aaron needs someone who's bring him forward a bit more."
He added: "I think Lewis’ character holds up a very realistic mirror to Aaron. Towards the end of the series, you can see things that he thought about himself have been completely stripped away by watching this newborn man."
Agreeing, Lewis said: "They bring out the best in each other. Danny gives Aaron a friend, which is all everybody wants in life - friendship and happiness."
Additional cast
Johann Myers (State of Play, Criminal Justice, Small Axe) stars as Paul. Jamie Michie (Game of Thrones, Skins, Shetland, Back to Life) plays Mark and Eva Pope (Waterloo Road, Holby City, Hetty Feather) plays Angie.
Is there a trailer for Somewhere Boy?
Yes! You can watch it below and see the world through Danny's eyes...
Somewhere Boy — behind-the-scenes
Somewhere Boy is written by Pete Jackson and is his first series commission for TV.
Speaking about Somewhere Boy Pete explains: “Danny grew up in a house in the middle of nowhere and was told that the world outside was full of monsters waiting to snatch him away. Somewhere Boy explores what happens when he finally leaves the house and is introduced to our world for the first time. It’s a chance to re-evaluate everything we think is normal through the eyes of someone for whom it’s all completely new.”
The working title for the TV project was originally The Birth of Daniel F Harris.
Somewhere Boy is produced by Gavin O’Grady (This Way Up, The Duchess) and directed by Alex Winckler (My Mad Fat Diary, This Way Up) and Alexandra Brodski (Rooftop Refugee, Joy).
Somewhere Boy filming locations
Somewhere Boy was filmed entirely in South Wales in a selection of stunning locations around Cardiff and the Brecon Beacons.
Somewhere Boy Season Two
Could there be a second series of Somewhere Boy? The signs look hopeful...
Creator Pete Jackson says: "Danny’s journey is only beginning. There's nothing resolved, he's not been 'solved', he's still a boy at odds with the world who’s going to have to try and find his place in it. We have a lot of ideas."
Lewis says: "We had so much fun despite how dark the show is. That’s what I needed, because if people had been too serious all the time, I would have been depressed at the end of every day. They were so encouraging and supportive, I feel like I've made genuine friendships with that crew. If Danny's story continued, having them come back to work on it would be brilliant – and I know Pete has had some ideas..."
Samuel says: "I’d be up for playing Aaron again as well. He’s a different person by the end of the series, so I’d be interested to see where he goes from there."
Rory says: "Wearing a full-body leather biker suit and helmet in 30-degree heat in a studio with a metal roof [was challenging]. Getting that thing on and off was a three-man job, although weirdly it kind of helped the insular, suffocating nature of it all. I'd be more than happy to get into that sweaty, dead cow again even so – Pete’s scripts would be fascinating for series two."
Lisa says: "Next, I'm filming a six-part ITV drama called Maternal in Liverpool about women returning to work after having kids. They’re doctors working on the NHS frontline, trying to juggle parenthood and being a doctor. I'm excited about it. I’d also love to do more Somewhere Boy. I know Pete would do it in a slightly unconventional way."
