One of Scotland’s most promising filmmakers, Parker Dawes, has landed his first TV commission with Dà Sgadan – Two Peas in a Pod, due to air on BBC ALBA this Christmas.

Following numerous successes in the Gaelic short-film competition FilmG, 17-year-old Parker has written and directed the new production, commissioned by BBC ALBA and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) Kids Drama Exchange. Alongside the EBU, Parker has had the chance to work with Emmy and BAFTA winning cinematographer, Neville Kidd – whose work includes The Umbrella Academy, Sherlock and Outlander – on the fictional short film.

Aimed at a 6-9 year old audience, Dà Sgadan – Two Peas in a Pod follows mechanic Polly, who is fed up having to look after her pesky little sister, Peigi. When a local gang offers her the chance to join them, Polly eagerly accepts – but what begins as a fun adventure soon takes a dark turn when Polly betrays her sister to gain the gang’s favour. As gang leader Donnie Dan reveals his true colours, Polly must decide which path to take.

Parker’s talent for storytelling was first spotted at the FilmG competition, after scooping up his first ‘Best Film’ award in the under 18s category at the 2023 awards. Earlier this year he took gold again for his Gaelic short, Iomlaineachd (Perfection). This success over the last two years has helped establish Parker as one of Scotland’s most gifted young talents.

Parker Dawes said: “Growing up in Scottish culture, learning Gaelic, has given me many valuable opportunities. While in high school, my Gaelic class entered FilmG – a competition that seemed as big as the Oscars to us. The prize money and glory on offer really spurred us on to make the best film we could, and I have gone on to enter my own film every year since, always pushing myself to create a more ambitious production each time.

“Every film I’ve ever made presents challenges and huge learning opportunities, with Dà Sgadan being no exception. Pitching for this EBU scheme and then working on the film has helped me immensely in understanding the industry and teaching me many skills I’ll continue to use. I can’t thank everyone involved enough.”

Neville Kidd, cinematographer, comments: “It was fun being really hands on again with this short film, and an honour to be helping to nurture the next generation of filmmaking talent coming out of Scotland. Parker is a filmmaking force to be reckoned with!”

The film has been produced by Channel X Hopscotch for BBC ALBA and is funded by MG ALBA and Screen Scotland. Parker was supported by award-winning producer Carolynne Sinclair Kidd and Lana Pheutan as co-writer. Lana, another FilmG alumnus, is a Gaelic writer with credits on a previous EBU drama, Dad Sam Bith, and comedy series, Glan Fhèin. She is also currently a participant in the Sean Connery Talent Lab.

Sean Greenhorn from Screen Scotland said: “It’s fantastic to be able to support Channel X Hopscotch and Parker Dawes on this new commission for BBC ALBA. Parker is an exceptionally exciting talent who first came onto our radar with his FilmG short Iomlaineachd. It is always thrilling to see young filmmakers get their start and we look forward to seeing his imagination, warmth and wit come through in Dà Sgadan this Christmas.”

The 15-minute Gaelic short will premiere on BBC ALBA on Christmas Day. Watch Dà Sgadan – Two Peas in a Pod live on BBC ALBA on 25 December at 6.10pm, or on demand on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0026ff6