I’m sure that many of you know of the Queen Vic and the Rovers Return. They’ve been familiar parts of our lives for decades. But if you live outside of Wales, you may not be quite so familiar with the Deri Arms, the local pub where the inhabitants of the fictional Welsh village of Cwmderi have celebrated their births, deaths and marriages for over 35 years.
The cast of new Welsh drama PyC.
Pobol y Cwm is the BBC’s longest running television soap opera and is produced at the new Roath Lock drama studios in Cardiff for transmission on the Welsh language channel, S4C. It has a very loyal following but, as with many long-standing programmes, one of the challenges facing Pobol y Cwm is how to attract a younger audience while ensuring the ongoing loyalty of existing viewers.
So, for the last few months I have been busy setting up PyC, a new addition to Pobol y Cwm: a special drama that focuses on the lives of some of the younger members of the cast whilst introducing new characters too.
PyC shows the edgier, sexier side of Cwmderi across a series of five episodes made available every night this week (8th - 12th April). The episodes will be available to watch on mobile, tablets and desktop computers via the PyC website. Additionally, viewers will be able to follow, chat, argue and even flirt with the characters via Facebook and Twitter meaning that in some cases a lot of the story is played in these online platforms.
I’m really hoping that viewers will immerse themselves completely in the PyC world and will helppush the narrative in different directions as they engage via social media. Of course, I appreciate that not everyone will want to completely interact and as such, the story plays out over the five episodes in a more linear way as well.
Undoubtedly, the project has been a real challenge, but perhaps the most exciting part of PyC is that this will be the first ever multi-platform project of its kind in the Welsh language and as such, it really does feel as though that via the much-loved Pobol y Cwm, the BBC and S4C are able to offer something truly innovative to its Welsh speaking audience. PyC has been a great opportunity for the BBC and S4C to work together using different storytelling techniques, engaging with audiences in a new way.
We’re hoping that PyC will bring a new audience to Pobol y Cwm. At the same time we’re also hoping it will be an opportunity for our existing audience to experience a side of Cwmderi that they don’t normally see during the nightly 8pm episode.
So, if you have a chance, take a look at the PyCwebsite – there’s the option to view the content in English and the episodes will have subtitles so you don’t even need to speak Welsh to enjoy it!
Hannah Thomas is Producer of PyC.
