Real North Wales: A look at the true nature of the community of Pen Llŷn

A brand-new four-part series Welsh Heartland: The Llŷn Peninsula will look at the true nature of the community of Pen Llŷn as part of the Real North Wales season from BBC Wales. Here, Dylan Huws of production company Cwmni Da explains the aims of the series.

“We had an open brief and wanted to focus on the Llŷn Peninsula, to offer an insight into how people really live there - not just the scenery, the coastline and beaches but how people live there all year round. We wanted to reveal the Pen Llŷn community as we know it and present this to the world. We’re trying to show the balance between living in a desirable and beautiful area and the pressures of economy, tourism and language.

“It was very important to us that we showed reality and that’s why the series is like an observational documentary - we see and recognise people, we then portray them. It’s an opportunity for people to tell their stories and experiences of living in this particular part of Wales. It’s a broad picture of life in Pen Llŷn during a period of four seasons; from the quietest and calmest of times to the hype of summer.

“The best way of achieving this was to get people comfortable in front of a camera, so before starting filming we spent time with them. We had their co-operation and trust and they became accustomed to us. They welcomed us into their homes and workplaces and we’re so grateful to them for this. It’s a unique opportunity to show, as closely as possible, what it is to live here.

“We’re experienced in producing observational documentaries - we produced Pen Llŷn Harri Parri and Michael Sheen's Valleys Rebellion. We talk to real people and reflect their lives; we’re loyal to them and try to convey the truth. It’s our production model, which we’ve nurtured over the years, and on this occasion we invested a whole year following people’s stories in order to truly reflect their lives.

“We didn’t interview the tourists who appear in the series, as such, we eavesdropped on their conversations and perspectives in order to hear from people who live outside Wales. We gave them radio microphones, and placed cameras far away and just allowed them to talk about whatever they wanted.

“People’s stories really stand out. Characters have something to say about how we live; the realities of life and what's important. They discuss social values, community values and cultural values. It’s an opportunity to hear from people who are in touch with Pen Llŷn.

“And people are moving into the area and are drawn to this way of life. Some visitors choose to learn more about this way of life, but there’s no denying that the area is under huge external pressures because of the appealing landscape and the values of the people who live here. There’s a danger of it being destroyed, the balance is fragile - the language is holding its own, but under enormous pressure.

“There have been a few programmes over the years about the Llŷn Peninsula, but perhaps they didn’t really know the area. We wanted to show how things really are. Welsh is heard on the programme and there are subtitles; I feel proud doing this with BBC Wales - presenting this linguistic balance - it’s important that we use both languages and create something realistic.”

Welsh Heartland: The Llŷn Peninsula. Monday, June 1, BBC One Wales, 7.30pm.

bbc.co.uk/realnorthwales