November 2022: Noson Gomedi - Dathlu 40

To mark 40 years of S4C, Sian Harries, Tudur Owen and I have made a mini edition of our sketch show O'r Diwedd, which was broadcast as part of S4C's "Noson Gomedi: Dathlu 40". Rather than looking back at the year, as we usually do, we look back at 40 years of Prynhawn Ma which, I must admit, is a good deal cheerier. 

It's best viewed on a wood effect TV with a curved screen, the back of which gets exceptionally hot before closedown or, alternatively, in the embedded tweet below.

 

"Balŵns, cac, parti...cusanu" 😳

40 mlynedd o S4C a... Prynhawn Ma! 🤣

Lets look back at some fond memories 🤭

📺 Noson Gomedi: Dathlu 40 pic.twitter.com/GvW5Aqdzjb

— S4C 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@S4C) November 4, 2022

The segment is also on BBC iPlayer and S4C Clic, where you'll also find the whole evening in two parts as well as the long awaited return of Tipit.

Penblwydd Hapus S4C.

August 2022

Here's a quick dash through everything I've been working on which comes out in August.  

Welcome Strangers returns to BBC Radio Wales (and therefore BBC Sounds) for a fourth series at 6.30pm on Monday 8th August. Once again I wrote some sketches and also acted as script editor for the show which stars Mali Ann Rees, Laura Dalgleish, Beth Granville, Eleri Morgan, Kath Hughes, Sarah Breese and Ruth Madoc.

 

Wittgenstein: From Austria To Abertawe - Also on BBC Radio Wales, this documentary will look at the time the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein spent in Swansea - a city he seemed to be rather fond of. I present the show, which was researched and devised by Dr. Alan Sandry and produced by Nigel Crowle. It will be broadcast at 6.30pm on 16th August and be available on BBC Sounds shortly afterwards.

NonCensored is Rosie Holt's podcast in which Harriet Langley-Swindon presents a round-up of her very-real daily radio show. I appear in episode 9 as journalist Tim Dolton, talking Harriet and producer Martin through the increasingly dizzying number of Labour factions. As you'd expect, it's available wherever you get your podcasts, and at the end of this link.

June 2022

Beena And Amrit - After last year's pilot, a full series of Beena and Amrit has just begun on BBC Radio Wales. I worked as script editor on the series, which has been brilliantly written by Priya Hall, Sarah Breese and Pravanya Pillay and stars Priya and Shobna Gulati. I'm typing this just as episode 1 appears on BBC Sounds, and it'll be joined by four more over the next month.

Only Seeing Is Believing - It is 30 years since The Garden Festival of Wales took place in Ebbw Vale. Being nine years old at the time, I was quite keen on the toboggan ride, sky shuttle and robotic dragons but didn't quite grasp the socio-economic conditions which brought the final UK garden festival to Blaenau Gwent in the first place - or what it was there to do. This show is a belated attempt to work all that out as I speak to historians, politicians and those who worked on the site itself - as well as accidentally uncovering a Blue Peter competition scandal along the way. The show is still available on the BBC Radio Wales bit of BBC Sounds - but be quick - there's only about a week left!

May 2022 - Only Seeing Is Believing

Only Seeing Is Believing - It is 30 years since The Garden Festival of Wales took place in Ebbw Vale. Being nine years old at the time, I was quite keen on the toboggan ride, sky shuttle and robotic dragons but didn't quite grasp the socio-economic conditions which brought the final UK garden festival to Blaenau Gwent in the first place - or what it was there to do. This show is a belated attempt to work all that out as I speak to historians, politicians and those who worked on the site itself - as well as accidentally uncovering a Blue Peter competition scandal along the way. The show is currently available on the BBC Radio Wales bit of BBC Sounds.

Clonc is a brand new, 6-part sketch show for BBC Radio Cymru written by Sian Harries, Tudur Owen and I and is the best-bits podcast for the fictional Radio Clonc. BBC Radio Cymru (and, by extention, Radio Clonc) is a Welsh language radio station so, as I type this in English, I realise I'm on a hiding to nothing really. Dw i'n dysgu cymraeg felly fi angen mae Sian a Tudur i gyfieithu i fi. Nes i meddwl gallwn ysgrifennu hwn paragraff yn cymraeg ond nes i "bottled it". Maybe next time!  

The Ministry Of Fun - I was lucky enough to work behind the scenes on this absolutely fascinating edition of Archive On Four all about the ministers and ministry of culture and/or the arts (or whatever they want to call the department at the time!) Presented by conductor Ben Gernon and produced by Rosemary Baker, the show covers everything from Jennie Lee to the present day, and features the National Lottery, Britpop and Virginia Bottomley introducing Gina Gee at Eurovision. I was quite heavily involved in sourcing the archive clips for the show - So when you get to the bit featuring Edward Heath enthusastically singing the Twelve Days Of Christmas to a baffled choir, you'll have me to thank.

Panic Room is a podcast, exclusively on Audible, in which Eshaan Akbar and Olga Koch attempt to find solutions to some of John Robins' biggest concerns. From running out of grave space to lowering the divorce rate, the team speak to experts and conduct their own experiments in an attempt to put John's mind at rest. I worked behind the scenes on the show but, most importantly, I was not the person who made the experimental mashed potato in the diet episode - so that bit isn't my fault.

January 2022 - United Nations Of Anglesey

Tudur Owen: United Nations Of Anglesey is a brand new series on BBC Radio 4 and the sequel to 2020's Zoo. Once again, it's based on a true story from Tudur's childhood - this time covering how he became a star on Japanese TV when he was selected as the welsh representative in the documentary programme Children Of The World. I worked as script editor on the two part show which also manages to cover cottage burning, agricultural show skulduggery and the career of Patagonian singer-songwriter Rene Griffiths. 

And, if you're quick, you can also catch Tudur together with Sian Harries and (briefly) myself in the the latest edition of our annual sketch show O'r Diwedd which is on S4C Clic/BBC iPlayer till the end of the month and available with English subtitles.

Panic Room is a podcast, exclusively on Audible, in which Eshaan Akbar and Olga Koch attempt to find solutions to some of John Robins' biggest concerns. From running out of grave space to lowering the divorce rate, the team speak to experts and conduct their own experiments in an attempt to put John's mind at rest. I worked behind the scenes on the show but, most importantly, I was not the person who made the experimental mashed potato in the diet episode - so that bit isn't my fault.

January 2022 - Panic Room

Panic Room is a brand new podcast, exclusively on Audible, in which Eshaan Akbar and Olga Koch attempt to find solutions to some of John Robins' biggest concerns. From running out of grave space to lowering the divorce rate, the team speak to experts and conduct their own experiments in an attempt to put John's mind at rest. I worked behind the scenes on the show but, most importantly, I was not the person who made the experimental mashed potato in the diet episode - so that bit isn't my fault.

O'r Diwedd 2021 - Our almost* annual sketch show which looks back at the year is now available on S4C Clic/BBC iPlayer till the end of the month. It's in Welsh, but both services provide English subtitles if you need them. I do and I'm in it.

(*We skipped 2020. Can you blame us?)

Harry Secombe: Unsung Comedian - Also available until the end of January is this documentary, first broadcast on BBC Radio Wales in September, to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Sir Harry Secombe. Controversially, we ignore Sir Harry's not-insignificant singing career and instead concentrate solely on his comedic legacy - So give it a listen and decide if his legendary shaving act works on the radio. 

The Xennial Dome - Esyllt Sears and I released two special editions of the podcast over the Christmas break which, like all our episodes, will be of interest to anyone born between 1977 and 1985. First-up was a format-busting interview with the non-Xennial stars of 1990s kids television, Trevor and Simon - And we followed that up with our Christmas Leftovers podcast, containing bits and bobs we could find a home for in series 1. The whole run is currently available online wherever you get your podcasts and you can get in touch with the show on Twitter, Instagram and MySpace.