PICTURE PERFECT

There's 'art-warming' drama as Trevor Eve and Eve Myles star in a tale for all the family

Frank Cottrell Boyce cut his teeth as a writer on episodes of Brookside and Corrie before making it big with such movies as Welcome to Sarajevo. But younger fans know him best for his children's books. Now one of them has been lovingly adapted by the BBC, resulting in a feature-length drama treat the whole family can enjoy.

Waking the Dead's Trevor Eve stars as Quentin Lester, a National Gallery curator more at ease in the company of paintings than people. When the gallery's masterpieces are moved from flooded London to a secret warehouse hidden in an old slate mine, Quentin finds himself relocated to a remote Welsh village. There, a sweet and tender story of love, art and community emerges among some endearingly eccentric characters – as seen through the eyes of Dylan Hughes (Samual Davies), a local lad Quentin assumes to possess an interest in art following a misunderstanding over the chickens he named after Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtels Michelangelo, Leonardo, Donatello and Raphael ...

'Frank has created a wonderful world, which is a blend of fantasy and reality,' says Trevor, who enjoyed many pleasurable hours researching his role in the National Gallery. 'He is a very un-cynical writer, and I think that is rather charming – and exciting to experience in this day and age.'

Also enjoying the change of pace was Torchwood star Eve Myles, who plays kindly teacher Angharad. As Van Gogh's priceless sunflowers ends up at Car-Boot Crazy in a farcical subplot, and the villagersfind joy in the art on their doorstep, Angharad struggles to attract Quentin's attentions away from his beloved paintings. 'I'm used to doing bold things with guns,' she smiles. 'But Angharad is different. You see how lonely she has been. She has been looking for a challenge and has been a very big fish in a little pond untill Quentin arrives. I love stories that are told through children's eyes – everything is real and honest because children tend not to lie.' This is something she will be finding out sooner rather than later, as Eve takes a break from acting in preparation for the birth of her first child later this year. 'I am going to put my feet up and get huge,' she grins. 'It's almost hysterical how excited I am, I've bought everything you can think of, and the only thing to arrive now is my little darling. Already the baby and I have a fabulous relationship, we have loads of conversations. It's my miracle, my blessing, and I can't wait. As you can tell I'm exstatic.'