Pobol y Cwm

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, and its adjacent small businesses and houses. Other frequent settings for storylines include the comprehensive school, Tamed, and a local farm, Penrhewl among many other houses. 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. The old set, on the BBC site in Llandaff, was eventually dismantled in 2017.

Broadcast

Three episodes are produced each week, broadcast at 8pm 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 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 per 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. 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 were utilised and the cast were required to do their own hair and make-up, which is normally done by a make-up artist. Filming recommenced on 10 August 2020, with new episodes airing twice a week from 8 September 2020, increasing to four in January 2021.

Outside of Wales

For a brief period in 1992, the series was broadcast at a 7pm slot on Nederland 3, under the title De vallei (The Valley). The British producers commissioned a promotional tape featuring facets of Welsh culture, preceding the first episode broadcast by the channel on 11 August 1992.

In 1994, it was briefly shown across the rest of the United Kingdom on BBC Two with English subtitles. This networked run started on 10 January 1994, in a daily afternoon slot four times a week from Monday to Thursday for about three months on an "experimental basis". The episodes were nine months behind the Welsh broadcast. The run was preceded by an introductory programme about the series which was aired on 6 January. The final episode to air on BBC Two was broadcast on 15 April.

This had not been the first time it was shown outside of Wales as the programme was shown on BBC1 in England until 1982, ending a few months before the launch of S4C.

Present characters

Main article: List of Pobol y Cwm characters

Regular characters

Recurring and guest characters

References

References

1. (10 October 2014). "Pobol y Cwm: 40 facts to mark 40 years of the soap on its 40th birthday". WalesOnline.
2. "TV Show directory - Pobol Y Cwm".
3. (2008). "The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales". University of Wales Press.
4. Emma Towner. (9 October 2024). "Celebrating 50 years of Pobol y Cwm".
5. "Amdanom ni {{!}} S4C".
6. (9 September 2024). "Pobol y Cwm unveils 50th anniversary celebratory tours".
7. Outdoor filming for the pub used to take place at The Sportsman's Rest Inn [[Peterston-super-Ely]].
8. (18 July 2017). "Hwyl fawr i'r hen Gwm!". BBC Cymru Fyw.
9. (18 March 2020). "Filming on EastEnders, Casualty, Doctors and more postponed". [[Wales Online]].
10. (18 August 2020). "Coronavirus: S4C's Pobol y Cwm and Rownd a Rownd back on TV". BBC News.
11. (4 September 1992). "Gids Voor TV en Radio". Leidse Courant.
12. [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/welsh-bbc-adds-to-drama-output-1471816.html Welsh BBC adds to drama output], ''[[The Independent]]'', 9 February 1993
13. Lewis, Caroline. (1995). "Welsh soap: "Pobol Y Cwm" and Welsh national identity". Berghahn Books.
14. McCrum, Kirstie. (10 October 2014). "40 Pobol y Cwm facts to mark 40 years of the S4C and BBC soap". Trinity Mirror.
15. "BBC Two England – 10 January 1994". BBC Genome.
16. (6 January 1994). "BBC Programme Index".
17. (15 April 1994). "BBC Programme Index".