Back in February, there was quite a bit of excitement in the Y Tir office! Gwynedd Watkin, FUW Caernarfon County Executive Officer received an request from Gwyn Eiddor, a Designer and Art Director asking if it was possible to receive copies of our monthly paper in order to use them in scenes of a new drama series for S4C, Dal y Mellt. It was too good an opportunity to miss, so our Editor, Nia Davies-Jones arranged for copies to be posted.
After patiently waiting, we can now announce that Dal y Mellt will first be seen on S4C on October 2nd, and I'm sure you, like us, are looking forward to seeing Y Tir appear on the small screen. But how did Dal y Mellt come about?
An adaptation of the popular novel, Dal y Mellt, is one of S4C's latest drama commissions, and its writer from Trawsfynydd, Iwan 'Iwcs' Roberts', is also one of the producers responsible for bringing the novel alive. "I published my first novel, Dal y Mellt, in 2019," said Iwcs. "I knew in my heart as I was writing that it was a very visual novel. It started as a drama in my head, I was just painting with words in a way."
During the series, we will have the opportunity to get to know the characters Carbo, Mici Ffin, Les, Meri-Jên, Gronw, Antonia, Dafydd Aldo and Cidw in what Gwenllian Gravelle, S4C's Drama Commissioner calls "an exciting commission that will bring something fresh and energetic to S4C." Gwenllian goes on to say: "It has an amazing cast that has the ability to create a drama that the audience can really immerse themselves in. By ensuring that the look and style of the series is quite different from the norm in terms of lighting, costumes and props, Vox Pictures has created something very special."
The background of the original request is extremely interesting and full of close links with the Union, and Gwynedd will explain more: "Gwyn Eiddor is the son of one of our members of Gwindy farm, Llecheiddor, Garndolbenmaen . His father, Richard Parry, is a former chairman of the county and Gwyn's grandfather is the late Wil Sam, a very famous dramatist from the area. Gwyn has been working in the film and television world for many years, and is a very keen football fan and follows the Welsh football team around the world. His brother Tudur Eifion is currently farming at home with his father Richard. Gwyn contacted us for permission to use an edition of Y Tir in a scene many months ago and of course he was welcome to do so."
What an interesting story and a great opportunity to see our paper on TV! But what does our Editor think about the attention to Y Tir? Nia Davies-Jones said: “We were more than happy for Dal y Mellt to use past copies of Y Tir during the filming process, an agricultural newspaper on the farmhouse kitchen table is common and we’re pleased that it’s Y Tir newspaper they chose to use. I look forward to seeing Dal y Mellt and Y Tir on our screens very soon.”
So remember to watch S4C on Sunday October 2nd at 9pm to enjoy a new series and to see Y Tir on TV!