Liverpool nail salon documentary series ‘Nail Bar Boys’ Set to Hit the BBC

LA Factual, part of Liverpool’s award-winning independent film and TV company LA Productions, is bringing the larger than life characters at one of Liverpool’s busiest nail salons to the small screen.

‘Nail Bar Boys’ will launch on-air on BBC One North West on Tuesday 23 November. The three-part documentary, which will air weekly, follows the lives of six British Vietnamese lads who run and work at the L1 nail salon in Liverpool city centre.

Nail Bar Boys will also be aired on BBC Three and available on BBC iPlayer from 21 November 2021.

The uplifting, playful and hopeful series follows Astro, Little Kenny, Brandon, Bruno, Dragon and Big Tony, giving a glimpse of their work and home lives. As they chat with clients and run their business, they reveal stories about overcoming addiction, trying to find love and searching for a sense of belonging. Very much at the centre of the community, thanks to the salon, the lads have become local celebrities and the new show is bound to add to their appeal.

Christian Francis-Davies, producer and director of the series said:

“We were invited by the BBC’s Northern Voices scheme to submit ideas that reflected the life experiences of 16-24 year-olds in our region, and it was a great honour that they chose to commission our entry – the ‘Nail Bar Boys’. It’s a positive, hopeful series, following the lives of six fearless, bold, and hilarious local lads.

“The guys are truly unique and we’re looking forward to sharing their stories with the people of Liverpool and beyond. We cover themes such as dating, mental health, identity, addiction, family and friendship, and our aim was to authentically interweave these topics together. We can’t wait for audiences to see it.”

Brandon Dragon of the Nail Bar Boys said: “Nail Bar Boys is our first involvement in a TV project, and when we were first approached our main concern was that it might be difficult to translate our personalities and unique dynamic onto the small screen.

“However, working with LA Factual, we were given full reign to be ourselves and ultimately it was a complete joy making the show. It’s been a blessing to have worked with LA and we can’t wait to showcase our corner of the British-Vietnamese community across the BBC.

“We are six big hearted lads that are passionate about what we do but don’t take ourselves too seriously. We hope viewers have as much fun watching the show as we did making it.”

The show is the result of a successful pitch by LA Factual to Northern Voices, the BBC’s Factual Development Scheme for the North of England. The Northern Voices scheme, a first time collaboration between BBC Three and BBC England aims to help nurture young talent in the North of England and give a platform to new stories and voices.