The Originals veteran Tracy Ifeachor has joined the cast of star-studded BBC drama series Mayflies.

This two-part adaptation of Andrew O'Hagan's Christopher Isherwood Prize-winning novel of the same name is a time-jumping drama about the bonds of friendship over decades.

Line of Duty's Martin Compston and Doctor Who actor Tony Curran play Jimmy and Tully, two friends who bonded as Scottish teenagers over one mad weekend in Manchester on the edge of adulthood.

mayflies,first look,1,iona tracey ifeachor, anna ashley jensen, tully tony curran, jimmy martin compston,synchronicity films limited,jamie simpson
Jamie Simpson//BBC

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The series will show viewers the movies and music that bonded them as friends during that magic weekend in 1986, before they are brought back together 30 years later when one gets tragic news.

New addition Ifeachor is perhaps best known for playing Aya Al-Rashid in the Vampire Diaries spinoff The Originals, and also appeared in Doctor Who as the baddie Abigail Naismith for David Tennant's swansong 'The End of Time Parts I and II'.

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After Life's Ashley Jensen will also star in Mayflies, along with Ifeachor's fellow additions House of the Dragon's Tom Glynn-Carney as young Tully and Holby City's Rian Gordon as young Jimmy.

mayflies,first look,1,tully tony curran, jimmy martin compston,synchronicity films limited,jamie simpson
Jamie Simpson//BBC

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Rounding off the main cast will be Two Doors Down's Elaine C Smith, The Cry actress Shauna Macdonald, HolbyBlue's Cal MacAninch and Colin McCredie (River City).

The series is being adapted for the screen by Call the Midwife and Elizabeth Is Missing's Andrea Gibb, with Rialto's Peter Mackie Burns on board to direct the two-parter.

mayflies,first look,limbo matt littleson, young jimmy rian gordon, young tully tom glynn carney, young hogg paul gorman and young tibbs mitchell robertson,synchronicity films limited,jamie simpson
Jamie Simpson//BBC

Mayflies is set to air later this year on BBC One, with filming having recently wrapped up in Glasgow.

Line of Duty series 1-6 are available on BBC iPlayer, and DVD and Blu-ray boxsets are also available to buy now.

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Justin Harp

Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.