Written by Matthew Barry (Industry, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), MEN UP is inspired by the remarkable true story of one of the world’s first medical trials for the drug that became Viagra, held in Swansea’s Morriston Hospital in 1994.
The real 1994 trial not only transformed the lives of the medics and patients involved; but also changed the lives of millions worldwide. The drug quickly became one of the most controversial and profitable in history, reshaping how we talk about sexual and mental health in the process.
In this fictionalised account, Meurig (Iwan Rheon) yearns for intimacy with his wife, Ffion (Alex Roach). He loves her with all his heart but feels trapped by his inability to rekindle the spark in their marriage. He’ll do anything to reignite the flames. Anything but talk to her.
There’s Tommy (Paul Rhys), a gay man who desperately lies about his sexuality because the trial was set up for straight sex. Spurred on by his friend and clinical nurse Moira Davies (Joanna Page), how far will his lies go to find happiness?
Colin (Steffan Rhodri) lives an isolated life with his crossword puzzles after his wife’s death. He thinks he’s found the one in Teresa (Lisa Palfrey), his phone pal from the Lonely Hearts column. But when she asks to meet in person, fear sets in. It’s been so long since he’s been with a woman. What if she wants to consummate their budding romance?
Peetham ‘Pete’ Shah (Phaldut Sharma) has a seemingly perfect middle-class existence. A nice job, a wonderful wife in Alys (Alexandria Riley) who has a new lust for life hosting lingerie and sex toy parties. But they’ve lost their spark. Blaming his impotency, he sees a fix-all problem in this tiny white pill (which didn’t become blue until much later). Can it shrink the gulf between them?
And Eddie (Mark Lewis Jones), a bulldog of a bloke. A seemingly strong man but beneath the surface is a vulnerability. Desperate to please his wife, can this trial fix his problems?
Men Up explores the fragilities of our characters in pursuit of their ultimate reward… the return of a romantic connection in their lives. But as the drug brings the hope of a return to that once-lost intimacy, the men realise the hard work has only just begun. The trial will take them to some very unexpected places and force them to re-assess their lives.
Men Up is a funny, frank drama about masculinity, mental health, family, friendship and love.
Years before the little blue pill changed the lives for millions across the globe, a group of ordinary middle-aged Welsh men underwent the extraordinary, taking part in one of the first clinical trials for an unknown drug which later became Viagra.
Meet The Characters
Meurig Jenkins – Iwan Rheon
Meurig, 41, is a proud, working-class Welshman who had it good for a long time. A wife, two beautiful boys and good mates. But things took a turn when his wife, Ffion, was diagnosed with cancer and he found he was suffering from impotence (a result of his recent diabetes diagnosis). Now, Meurig is drowning in shame and silence but is too proud to ask for help. Because he’s a man. And he thinks real men don’t talk.
Dr Dylan Pearce – Aneurin Barnard
Dylan, 40s, is a Consultant at Morriston Hospital – a pioneering, charismatic firebrand. His passion for understanding the science of impotence is matched only by his passion to help those who suffer from it. He’s an ambitious, determined man; unwavering in his goal to make his mark on medical history.
Ffion Jenkins – Alex Roach
Having recently been given the all clear following her breast cancer diagnosis, Ffion, 40s, is hoping to get her life back to normal. She’s looking forward to spending quality time with her two wonderful boys and her husband, Meurig. But with Meurig becoming more distant by the day, she’s more alone and isolated than ever. Having had surgery, Ffion believes that she is no longer attractive and that’s the reason why Meurig won’t touch her. If only they’d talk to each other.
Peetham Shah – Phaldut Sharma
Peetham ‘Pete’ Shah, 40s, is middle class, tired and has been going through the motions for years now. He and his wife, Alys, haven’t had sex for a long time. But when Pete successfully achieves an erection, following the clinical trial, he’s hoping that he can turn back the years and woo his wife once more. If only she was as excited about it all as he is.
Tommy Cadogan – Paul Rhys
Tommy, 50s, is an overthinker who has resorted to painful injections to try and achieve an erection. He’s terrified that his lack of sexual potency will mean that he’ll lose Rhys, his partner of over twenty years. When Tommy hears about the trial, the fact that it’s only open to heterosexual men isn’t going to stop him.
Colin White – Steffan Rhodri
Colin, 60s, is a creature of habit and has been a widower for over ten years. He seeks solace in his crosswords and the Lonely Hearts column but Colin only ever wants to talk to his “dates” on the phone. He can’t meet these women in real life (what if they wanted more and he wasn’t able to deliver?). But that all changes when he not only gets onto the trial but also meets Teresa.
Eddie O’Connor – Mark Lewis Jones
Eddie, 50s, is a bulldog of a man. Likes a pint or ten with the boys. Hasn’t drawn breath since the day he was born. But it’s all a show. Eddie’s persona hides his deep insecurities and feelings of inadequacy. And he’ll go to extreme lengths to keep them hidden.
Moira Davies – Joanna Page
Moira, 40s, a compassionate Clinical Nurse and dear friend of Tommy’s. Moira is funny and fearless, with a steely confidence.
Alys Shah – Alex Riley
Alys long ago accepted that sex with her husband Pete was no longer on the table. And that’s fine with her. Just how she likes it. She’s busy building her new business – hosting lingerie and sex toy parties to spice up her customers’ sex lives. Finally, she’s found a new lease of life and is embracing it wholly. Until Pete arrives home with some news.
Rhys Lancey – Nathan Sussex
Rhys, 50s, is Tommy’s long-time partner and a devoted drama teacher. Whilst he’s not the most emotionally articulate, he loves Tommy and wants nothing more than his partner to understand that there’s no one else he’d rather be with.
Teresa Rigby – Lisa Palfrey
Teresa, 60s, is a long-time widow but unlike Colin, she knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go for it.
IWAN RHEAON takes the role of Meurig. What attracted you to the character Iwan?
“As soon as I started reading the script, I just loved it – it’s got so much heart. It’s a beautiful mix of drama and comedy. The script is so strong, the characters are so well formed, every individual story is so warm, and you feel the humanity of every character and each relationship.”
Where do we find Meurig at the start of the story and what are his motivations for taking part in this trial?
“A lot of the characters are at some form of a boiling point and their impotence is causing them mental harm. We find Meurig at a desperate point and a lot of this is about masculinity and the inability to talk about problems. As men, we are getting better at it, but in the 90s, it was very much not a thing to talk about.
We find Meurig trying to figure out how he can deal with this because he feels like he’s letting his wife down and he’s getting quite desperate. He’s also dealing with diabetes, and we find him at the real fracture point where it’s all going to collapse if he doesn’t do something quickly.”
Men Up’s shooting locations showcase our incredible Welsh landscapes. What was it like filming here?
“It was great filming in Wales. I’ve worked in Wales a lot recently, so it was lovely. I’ve filmed a lot of cycling on the Mumbles which has been nice, there’s worse places! It’s great – I love working in Wales.”
STEFFAN RHODRI plays Colin – what attracted you to the role Steffan?
“This is such a great story for a start, and Colin is a very touching character. It seemed like a great challenge for me, but it also a great story to be a part of to tell.”
Where do we find Colin at the start of Men Up and what are his motivations for taking part in the trial?
“Colin has erectile dysfunction, caused by diabetes which all of the men in the trial did actually have. So, he is in a position where he’s been widowed for some time but wants another relationship. He gets involved in relationships at a distance on the phone from the Lonely Hearts column in the back of the paper. Though he doesn’t want to pursue the relationship any further because physically he knows he can’t, and so therefore is glad to be offered the trial.”
What was it like working in Wales?
“Well, not only is it filmed in Wales, this is also a story about a clinical trial in the hospital where I was born. I was born in Morriston Hospital and so this is a story about my hometown. I was actually living in Swansea again in 1994 but I had no idea that this story was happening. So, I love doing anything where I get to film in Wales, and we’ve used some locations all over South Wales. But at first some of the exteriors we used were in and around Swansea, and that’s my old hometown, so I was very glad.”
Another Gavin and Stacey favourite takes on the role of Moira. We asked JOANNA PAGE what drew her to the part….
“I wanted to be in this because Matthew Barry has written it, who’s a good friend and I was in Mine All Mine with him years ago, which was written by Russell. Also, getting to work with Russell again and working with Nicola Shindler. After reading the script, I was in awe at what a fantastic story it was, with fantastic characters, so well written, and just a joy to be in.”
Men Up is both funny and moving and Moira delivers a lot of comedy. What was it like to play her?
“It’s been lovely playing Moira. I like that she’s very positive and she’s optimistic, but she comes across as quite strong as well. She is comedic and she is funny; I like the scene where she comes in with the ‘material’ for the men to look at and she’s light, but she’s still tender with Tommy.
There are funny parts, but what I love about the script is that it’s just so tender and moving and you don’t really get men talking a lot about their feelings. When you actually think about how much this affected and still affects so many men, it’s heartbreaking. It’s great playing Moira because she’s really good fun, I like being very practical because she’s a nurse and she gets on with it, but I like the moving scenes with Tommy.”
Men Up’s shooting locations showcase the incredible Welsh landscapes, you’ve got to love filming back home?
“It was lovely filming in South Wales; you’ve got the hills surrounding us with all the little sheep on them and the houses dotted around and it’s just so majestic, beautiful and magical.”
DR DAVID PRICE was a medical Research Consultant for Men Up throughout its development and production. He helped the production understand how the trial was run and advised on the script, and was on set during filming to make sure the medical details were as accurate as possible. Dr Dylan Pearce in the film is a fictional character, but is inspired by Dr David Price and his integral role in the trial.
Can you share a little bit about yourself David?
I”‘m David Price, a Consultant Physician with an interest in endocrinology in Morriston hospital, Swansea. I’m part time now, so I’m still involved in acute medicine and seeing medical admissions. I used to work with diabetes as well, but now it’s endocrine clinics.”
How did you first get involved in the trials?
“I started getting involved in impotence when I was a junior doctor in the 80s. Previously, we had been told that impotence was psychological, but treatments started to develop which proved that impotence might be a physical issue. It also became apparent that it was completely neglected by the whole profession and the diabetes world. So, I realised it was a neglected area where there was tremendous potential for doing good. I wrote a leading article in the British Medical Journal in 1993, saying impotence is the most neglected complication of diabetes and we had to change that.
As a result of that article, I was approached by Pfizer, who had this new drug. I wasn’t actually approached directly, they approached a colleague of mine called John Took in Exeter, who said: “Not my field, try David Price in Swansea,” and I’m very grateful to him. Pfizer had this drug which is designed to treat cardiovascular disease and men refused to turn in their unused tablets because their sex lives improved so much.”
What was it like to visit the set?
“I felt a huge sense of privilege and luck. I’m very pleased that you’re seeing Swansea at its best. The first trials happened in Swansea and the fact that they’re making a film showing Swansea at its best, is fantastic.”
Men Up (1×90’) is written by Matthew Barry, directed by Ashley Way (White Lines, Stella, Merlin), and produced by Karen Lewis (The Salisbury Poisonings, Years and Years, Happy Valley). The executive producers are Nicola Shindler (Nolly, It’s A Sin, Happy Valley) and Davina Earl (Safe, Come Home) for Quay Street Productions, Rachel Evans (35 Diwrnod/35 Days, How This Blind Girl…) for Boom, Matthew Barry and Russell T Davies (Nolly, It’s A Sin, Doctor Who) and Rebecca Ferguson for the BBC.
Matthew Barry has previously worked with Shindler and Davies on their 2015 drama Banana, which was part of the Cucumber, Banana, Tofu series for Channel 4.
MEN UP was on BBC One on Friday, 29th December at 9pm, it’s now available on iPlayer and well worth a watch.
