Pobol y Cwm

Pobol y Cwm (People of the Valley; Welsh pronunciation: [ˌpɔbɔl ə ˈkʊm]) is a Welsh language soap opera which has been 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
GenreSoap opera
Created byGwenlyn Parry
John Hefin
StarringPresent cast
Theme music composerEndaf Emlyn[1]
Country of originWales
Original languageWelsh
No. of episodes8,000[2]
Production
ProducerLlyr Morus
Production locationsBroadcasting House, Llandaff (1974–2011)
Roath Lock, Cardiff (2011–present)
Running time20–40 minutes (excluding advertisements)
Production companyBBC Studios
DistributorBBC
Release
Original network
Picture format16:9 (HDTV)
Audio formatDolby Surround
Original release16 October 1974 (1974-10-16) 
present
Chronology
Related showsRownd a Rownd
External links
Website
Production website

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

Five episodes are produced each week. These are broadcast at 20:00 between Mondays and Fridays. The Friday episodes were dropped in 2019, but was reinstated 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, with a transmission break between episodes filmed before and after production paused. 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 from 8 September 2020 semiweekly.

Present characters

Character Actor Years
Megan Harries (née Owen)Lisabeth Miles19741996, 20022003, 2011
David 'Dai' AshurstEmyr Wyn19781984, 2001
Ieuan GriffithsIestyn Jones19881992, 19951997, 20002011, 2019
Eileen WaltersSera Cracroft19891996, 1998, 2007
Lisa MorganBeth Robert19901991, 19962000, 2019
Hywel LlywelynAndrew Teilo1990
Cassie Morris (née Nicholas)Sue Roderick19912004, 2018
Iori DaviesHugh Thomas1991, 1993, 1995, 19971999, 2002, 2018
Sioned ReesEmily Tucker19931996, 2007
Kathleen 'Kath' JonesSiw Hughes19932007, 2014, 2017
Mark JonesArwyn Davies1993
Rhys LlywelynJack Quick19972001, 20082012, 20142015, 2018
Diane Ashurst (née Francis)Victoria Plucknett1998
Jason FrancisRhys Ap Hywel19982007, 2015
Sara ThomasHelen Rosser Davies1998, 20002008, 2015
Anita PierceNia Caron1999
Garry MonkRichard Lynch2002
Britt MonkDonna Edwards2002
Iolo WhiteDyfan Rees20022005, 2007, 2009
Siôn WhiteJeremi Cockram2002
Gwyneth JonesLlinor ap Gwynedd2003
Kelly EvansLauren Phillips20032007, 2009, 2015
Ffion Llywelyn (née Roberts)Bethan Ellis Owen2004
Aaron MonkOsian Morgan2006
Dani Monk (née Thomas)Elin Harries2007
Eifion RowlandsArwel Davies2007
Colin EvansJonathan Nefydd2008
Gaynor LlywelynSharon Roberts2008
Esyllt 'Izzy' EvansCaryl Morgan20082010, 2012, 2019
Gwern JonesElis Lloyd Hughes2010
Arwen WhiteEvie Rose Jenkins2012
Richard 'DJ' AshurstCarwyn Glyn2014
Esther LlywelynEira Adoh2016
Mathew PriceMark Stuart Roberts2016
Tyler DaviesAled Llyr Thomas2016
Bethan "Non" Mererid-EvansGwawr Loader20172018, 2021
Ifan FrancisIoan Arnold2017
Greta Davies-WhiteBella Marie Dennis2017
Seren MonkMaggie Edith Taylor2017
Huwi-John ProbertWil Owen2018
Jaclyn Parri (née Ellis)Mali Harries2018
Gerwyn ParriAled Pugh2018
Tesni ParriLois Meleri-Jones2018
Guto ParriOwain Huw2018
Brenda ParriSharon Morgan2018
Luned HughesRhianna Loren2019
Dylan EllisGareth Jewell2019
Aled RichardsJacob Oakley2019

References

  1. "Pobol y Cwm: 40 facts to mark 40 years of the soap on its 40th birthday". WalesOnline. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  2. "TV Show directory - Pobol Y Cwm". Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  3. 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.
  4. S4C viewing figures
  5. Welsh BBC adds to drama output, The Independent, 9 February 1993
  6. Outdoor filming for the pub used to take place at The Sportsman's Rest Inn Peterston-super-Ely.
  7. "Filming on EastEnders, Casualty, Doctors and more postponed". Wales Online. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  8. "Coronavirus: S4C's Pobol y Cwm and Rownd a Rownd back on TV". BBC News. 18 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
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