Public access to two main city centre roads will be blocked at set times this week, whilst filming takes place for a new drama starring Alexandra Roach and Iwan Rheon. Men Up, a new BBC feature-length drama, will tell the story of one of the world's first medical trials for the drug that ultimately became Viagra - and several scenes for the show are being filmed in Swansea.
Alexandra, who hails from Ammanford, is perhaps best known for playing Becky in Utopia and DS Joy Freers in No Offence, whilst Iwan, from Carmarthen, has become a familiar face after playing Ramsay Bolton in Game of Thrones and Simon Bellamy in E4's Misfits. Iwan has already been spotted in Swansea, alongside film crews, at Victoria Avenue and Swansea promenade in February.
With further filming set to take place on Cambrian Place, motorists are being advised the road will be closed from 10am to 9pm on Thursday, March 9 - though pedestrians and emergency services will be able to access the area. A stretch of Park Street will also be shut to the public overnight on Thursday, March 9, and overnight on Sunday, March 12, though a reason for this closure has not been confirmed. For more stories about Swansea city centre, go to this page of our website.
Announcing the road closure on social media, Swansea councillor Hannah Lawson wrote: "Filming event temporary road closure: Cambrian Place, city centre, Swansea. Thursday, March 9, between 10am and 9pm. A filming event 'Men Up' is to take place on Thursday, March 9, as a result it will be considered necessary to temporarily close Cambrian Place. The filming event will be held at Cambrian Place in the city centre area of Swansea.
"Cambrian Place will be closed to vehicular traffic. Access for emergency vehicles and pedestrians to be maintained at all times." A further announcement added: "Schedule: temporary road closure. Park Street (Car Park Access Lane, city centre). Park Street (car park access lane) in a north-easterly direction from its junction with Portland Street, a distance of approximately 90 metres.
"Thursday, March 9, 2023, for one night (9pm to 6am), Sunday, March 12, 2023, for one night (9pm to 6am). There is no alternative route for vehicular traffic. Access for emergency vehicles to be maintained at all times." You can get more Swansea news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
The medical trial set to be featured in the drama took place in Swansea's Morriston Hospital back in 1994. Years before the little blue pill changed the lives for millions around the world, a group of ordinary middle-aged Welsh men took a step into the unknown by taking part in the trial.
In the drama, viewers meet four men who have one thing in common - impotency. It affects them in every aspect of their lives and they often feel ashamed by the condition. Left feeling as failures, and questioning their manhood after having attempted their own fixes with no luck, the group are offered a lifeline: a place on a trial for an unknown drug thought to cure impotence, led by the ambitious Dr Dylan Pearce with support from clinical nurse Moira Davies.
Mixing drama with humour, Men Up is described as a "poignant and beautiful story" in which a group of unassuming men "rise to the challenge to reclaim their sex lives". The drama has been written by Matthew Barry, perhaps most known for writing Industry and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) is directed by Ashley Way, of White Lines, Stella and Merlin, and produced by Karen Lewis, of The Salisbury Poisonings, Years and Years, and Happy Valley. Russell T Davies is one of the executive producers.
"Who knew that one of the first Viagra trials in the world took place in 1994 in Swansea! I’m beyond delighted to be working with Nicola, Russell, and the entire team to bring this extraordinary tale to the screen," Matthew Barry said previously. "People hear the word 'impotence', and they wait for the punchline - but this story is about so much more. And with an incredible Welsh cast, led by Iwan Rheon and Alexandra Roach, I can't wait to bring it to the screen." You can read more about the upcoming drama in our previous article here.
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