Pobol y Cwm
Pobol y Cwm (People of the Valley; Welsh pronunciation: [ˌpɔbɔl ə ˈkʊm]) is a Welsh-language soap opera produced by the BBC since October 1974.[3] The longest-running television soap opera produced by the BBC, Pobol y Cwm was originally transmitted on BBC One Wales and later transferred to the Welsh-language station S4C when it opened in November 1982.[3]
| Pobol y Cwm | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Soap opera |
| Created by | Gwenlyn Parry John Hefin |
| Starring | Present cast |
| Theme music composer | Endaf Emlyn[1] |
| Country of origin | Wales |
| Original language | Welsh |
| No. of episodes | 8,000[2] |
| Production | |
| Producer | Llyr Morus |
| Production locations | Broadcasting House, Llandaff (1974–2011) Roath Lock, Cardiff (2011–present) |
| Running time | 20 minutes (excluding advertisements) |
| Production company | BBC Studios Continuing Drama Productions |
| Distributor | BBC Studios |
| Release | |
| Original network |
|
| Picture format | 16:9 (HDTV) |
| Audio format | Dolby Surround |
| Original release | 16 October 1974 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related | Rownd a Rownd |
The programme typically centres around the residents of Cwmderi – a fictional, Welsh speaking, agricultural community.
Apart from rugby and football specials, Pobol y Cwm is consistently the most watched programme of the week on S4C,[4] and in 1994 was briefly shown across the whole of the United Kingdom on BBC Two with English subtitles.[5]
On 25 September 2019, the soap hit a significant broadcasting landmark when it aired its 8,000th episode.
Setting
The setting for the show is the fictional village of Cwmderi, located in Gwendraeth Valley, which is between Carmarthen and Llanelli in south-west Wales. Whilst much of the show's early activity took place at a nursing home, storylines are currently centred on the village pub, Y Deri,[6] and its adjacent small businesses and houses. Other frequent settings for storylines include the comprehensive school, Ysgol y Mynach, and a local farm, Penrhewl. There are two other fictional villages close to Cwmderi, named Llanarthur and Cwrtmynach.
Originally filmed at Broadcasting House, Cardiff, since 2011 the programme has been filmed at the BBC's drama studios at Roath Lock in Cardiff Bay, other than a few on-location shoots around Cardiff. The exterior outdoor high street of Cwmderi was recreated from scratch, while many interiors are shot inside the Roath Lock Studios.
Broadcast
Three episodes are produced each week, broadcast at 20:00 between Tuesdays and Thursdays, a reduction from a fifth episode in 2019, and a reduction from a fourth episode in 2021. In addition, a weekly omnibus with in-vision English subtitles airs on Sunday evenings.
On 18 March 2020 it was announced that filming for Pobol y Cwm would be suspended in the light of the spread of COVID-19 until further notice. The number of episodes being broadcast would be also be reduced to two a week "so that we can ensure the audience can continue to enjoy Pobol y Cwm in their homes for as long as possible." The episodes were shown on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the usual time slot.[7] In June 2020, it was announced that Pobol y Cwm, would go on a transmission break following the broadcast on 16 June 2020. A behind-the-scenes show, Pobol y Cwm: Y Cymeriadau, aired in the show's place during the transmission break. Every episode featured an exclusive interview with the show's cast, with 12 episodes being shown. The soap also aired a repeat of "iconic" episodes from the past.
Five months later, it was confirmed that there were plans for a return to production, When production recommenced, social distancing measures was utilised and the show's cast were required to do their own hair and make-up, which is normally done by a make-up artist.[8] Filming recommenced on 10 August 2020, with new episodes airing twice a week from 8 September 2020, increasing to four in January 2021.
Present characters
Regular characters
| Character | Actor | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Megan Harries (née Owen) | Lisabeth Miles | 1974–1996, 2002–2003, 2011– |
| David 'Dai' Ashurst | Emyr Wyn | 1978–1984, 2001–2020, 2022– |
| Ieuan Griffiths | Iestyn Jones | 1988–1992, 1995–1997, 2000–2011, 2019– |
| Eileen Probert (née Walters) | Sera Cracroft | 1989–1996, 1998, 2007– |
| Hywel Llywelyn | Andrew Teilo | 1990– |
| Cassie Morris (née Nicholas) | Sue Roderick | 1991–2004, 2018– |
| Sioned Rees | Emily Tucker | 1993–1996, 2007– |
| Kathleen 'Kath' Jones | Siw Hughes | 1993–2007, 2014, 2017– |
| Mark Jones | Arwyn Davies | 1993– |
| Cai Rossiter | Rhys ap William | 1996, 2002–2012, 2021– |
| Rhys Llywelyn | Jack Quick | 1997–2001, 2008–2012, 2014–2015, 2018– |
| Diane Ashurst (née Francis) | Victoria Plucknett | 1998–2020, 2022– |
| Jason Francis | Rhys Ap Hywel | 1998–2007, 2015– |
| Anita Pierce | Nia Caron | 1999– |
| Garry Monk | Richard Lynch | 2002– |
| Britt Evans (née Monk) | Donna Edwards | 2002– |
| Iolo Davies-White | Dyfan Rees | 2002–2005, 2007, 2009– |
| Siôn White | Jeremi Cockram | 2002– |
| Kelly Evans | Lauren Phillips | 2003–2005, 2007, 2009, 2015– |
| Gwyneth Jones | Llinor ap Gwynedd | 2003–2020, 2022– |
| Ffion Llywelyn (née Roberts) | Bethan Ellis Owen | 2004– |
| Huw "Jinx" Jenkins | Mark Flanagan | 2005–2015, 2021– |
| Aaron Monk | Osian Morgan | 2006– |
| Dani Thomas | Elin Harries | 2007– |
| Eifion Rowlands | Arwel Davies | 2007– |
| Gaynor Llywelyn | Sharon Roberts | 2007– |
| Colin Evans | Jonathan Nefydd | 2008– |
| Richard 'DJ' Ashurst | Carwyn Glyn | 2014– |
| Mathew Price | Mark Stuart Roberts | 2016– |
| Tyler Davies-White | Aled Llyr Thomas | 2016– |
| Tesni Parri | Lois Meleri-Jones | 2018– |
| Brynmor Jones (né Richards) | William Thomas | 2019, 2021– |
| Tegwen Morris | Mabli Gwynne | 2022– |
Recurring and guest characters
| Character | Actor(s) | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Gwern Jones | Elis Lloyd Hughes | 2010– |
| Arwen White | Nel Hannah | 2012– |
| Esther Llywelyn | Rosie Ekenna | 2016– |
| Ifan Francis | Ioan Arnold | 2017– |
| Greta Davies-White | Elisa Stevens | 2017– |
| Seren Monk | Florence Seaman | 2017– |
| Huwi-John Probert | Wil Owen | 2018– |
| Gabriel Thomas | Rory Crouch | 2021– |
| Ken Morris | Tom Glenn | 2022– |
References
- ^ "Pobol y Cwm: 40 facts to mark 40 years of the soap on its 40th birthday". WalesOnline. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ^ "TV Show directory - Pobol Y Cwm". Retrieved 3 May 2020.
- ^ a b Davies, John; Jenkins, Nigel; Menna, Baines; Lynch, Peredur I., eds. (2008). The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. p. 688. ISBN 978-0-7083-1953-6.
- ^ S4C viewing figures
- ^ Welsh BBC adds to drama output, The Independent, 9 February 1993
- ^ Outdoor filming for the pub used to take place at The Sportsman's Rest Inn Peterston-super-Ely.
- ^ "Filming on EastEnders, Casualty, Doctors and more postponed". Wales Online. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus: S4C's Pobol y Cwm and Rownd a Rownd back on TV". BBC News. 18 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
External links
- Pobol y Cwm at BBC Online
- Pobol y Cwm at IMDb