The Pact: What is the BBC Wales drama about? Who is in the cast? When does it start? All you need to know

If you’re mourning the end of Keeping Faith, look out for a new must-see thriller from the BBC Wales stable.

The Pact has a star-filled cast that includes Laura Fraser, Julie Hesmondhalgh and Eddie Marsan, and a binge-worthy plot.

Here’s everything we know about the drama series so far.

The Pact review: 8 burning questions after episode 1

What is The Pact about?

The BBC are being extremely vague over the plot details of The Pact, so we can only assume that there are plenty of twists and turns that they don’t want to ruin for viewers.

Describing the drama as being a story of “a group of friends, a sudden death and a web of lies”, not much else is revealed – so we could be looking at a murder mystery, or secrets that are unearthed in the wake of the death.

The only other details we know are that a young brewery boss is found dead, triggering a chain of events that draws four of his employees into “a fragile pact of silence, bound by a secret that will change their lives forever”.

Sounds intriguing…

The Pact cast: Meet the stars of the BBC thriller

Watch the trailer

Who is in The Pact cast?

The four friends at the centre of the drama are Anna (Laura Fraser), Nancy (Julie Hesmondhalgh), Louie (Eiry Thomas) and Cat (Heledd Gwynn).

Fraser is known for her roles in Breaking Bad and The Missing, Hesmondhalgh starred in Broadchurch and Coronation Street, Thomas will be familiar from Keeping Faith, and Gwynn appeared in Ordinary Lies.

Other cast includes Eddie Marsan (Ray Donovan), Jason Hughes (Three Girls), Aneurin Barnard (Dunkirk), Rakie Ayola (Noughts + Crosses), Abbie Hern (The Twilight Zone), Mark Lewis-Jones (The Crown), Adrian Edmondson (Save Me), Gabrielle Creevy (In My Skin) and Aled Ap Steffan (Gangs Of London).

Where is The Pact filmed?

The stunning and atmospheric series was all filmed on location and in studios in Wales. Locations used included Merthyr, Pontsticill, Usk and Marshfield.

"It was hugely important to set and film The Pact in Wales for all involved," said producer Elwen Rowlands.

"Both writer Pete [McTighe] and I wanted to portray the contemporary Wales that is our home.

"The strong sense of community, the diversity, the variety of accents, the landscape.  Little Door was set up in Wales in 2019, as an indigenous producer it’s important for us to always film our shows locally where possible, supporting local talent, showcasing new talent and making the most of the great locations on our doorstep."

Breaking Bad star Laura Fraser said: "We got to see some of the Welsh scenery in places around Merthyr Tydfil. We filmed in two different woods, which were stunning and then most of the other locations were in the studio.

"We did get to see the countryside but unfortunately not as much as I wanted to. It’s absolutely beautiful and to me, parts of it look very much like Scotland."

Self-confessed Welshophile Julia Hesmondhalgh said: "We filmed in some completely beautiful places. The woods at Pontsticill are where a lot of the action takes place and you'll see that beautiful landscape in all climates. As did we! It's a stunning place.

"Our first location was Rhymney Brewery in the Valleys, right next to Big Pit and surrounded by mountains. It was the end of the summer then and absolutely boiling. It was a gorgeous drive to location every day from Cardiff.

"We also filmed around Usk which was a beautiful little town and at St Mary's Church in Marshfield, which I loved."

Cardiff local Rakie Ayola, who plays DS Holland, admitted that working on the show had even opened her eyes to the beauty of Wales.

"I am from Cardiff and I can’t believe that it took The Pact to get me to the area around Merthyr Tydfil," said Ayola.

"It’s so beautiful. The heart of Wales is just phenomenally beautiful and I think that it’s shown off really well in The Pact. I think the scenery is another character."

When is The Pact on TV?

The six-part series startrs on Monday, May 17 at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Episode 2 follows on Tuesday, May 18th at 9pm.