Geoff Evans is producer/director for Coming Home. Here, he talks about the stories behind the new series.
My journey began back in early June 2014. Even before I came on board to make the series, an enormous amount of research had already been conducted by our genealogist Mike Churchill-Jones; the man who discovers all the fantastic stories we tell in the series. He has a sixth sense in knowing where to dig for the stories. Sometimes the stories are so good, I'm sure he's made them up, but the evidence is right there for all to see.
I was really excited about this year's line-up. My first shoot was in July, with the larger-than-life character David Emanuel.
I was just four years old when David hit the big time across the world after designing Princess Diana's wedding dress along with his ex-wife Elizabeth.
His stint in the jungle on ITV's 'I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!', certainly made him more widely known to people of all generations. I can honestly say that David's much-loved performance in the jungle, is exactly how he is in real life. He's friendly,warm and a genuinely nice bloke. He told me that before his stint in the jungle, fans always called him Mr Emanuel; but now he's simply David.
David Emanuel and the Coming Home crew. Geoff Evans is far right.
David's story is focused on his grandfather, John Leslie Emanuel, who died before David was even born. David looks into his grandfather's life and uncovers many great stories. From John's time serving in World War Two, to his stint as a motor racer at Pendine Sands.
However, the story begins with David's great grandfather, who worked as a policeman in Merthyr Tydfil in the 19th century; a tough period in Merthyr's history.
I was lucky enough to meet most of David's siblings and his father John. One of the things I love about making this series is the few special privileges you have along the way. Spending time with David and his family was enjoyable indeed and none of them were camera shy. It must be in the genes!
My next shoot was with a man who millions of people see on their screens at least a few times a week; actor Ian Puleston-Davies, who plays builder Owen Armstrong in Coronation Street. Although I'm not a regular Coronation Street viewer, I soon became very aware of how popular its stars are. Arriving at the hotel the night before filming, Ian's scampi and chips got very cold due to the number of Corrie fans who wanted an autograph or picture with him.
Ian was a real gift to us, because of his unusual name, Puleston. Having a more common name like Jones, Davies or Evans (like myself) can be more difficult to trace back very far, but this name took our genealogist Mike Churchill-Jones on a very exciting journey.
Actor Ian Puleston-Davies searched for his links to Welsh Prince Owain Glyndŵr
Ian's main quest for himself and his family was to answer one question which has circulated around his family for years. Certain family members believe they are descended from the Pulestons of Emral and therefore closely related to 14th century Welsh Prince Owain Glyndŵr! But could this be possible? This question is answered during the programme. Ian explores many other Pulestons in his family and their story begins in north Wales and travels as far as the American Frontier during the American Civil War in the 1860s.
Alex Jones was looking for information to pass on to her grandfather Denzil
My next programme was with one of Britain's most recognisable faces. Alex Jones is on our screens all week and she has got to be one of the hardest-working people in television. After completing her Friday night appearance on The One Show, she travelled all the way back to Ammanford and was ready to film at 9am. Alex grew up in Ammanford, where her family still live. However, her story was focused in and around Llanelli in Carmarthenshire. She had a number of very interesting ancestors from the area. These ancestors include her Johnson side of the family, who were embroiled in a bitter dispute after the death of Mr Johnson's wife. This wasn't your typical courtroom drama.
Alex's main wish for this programme, was to discover more information, which she could pass onto her grandfather Denzil.
Denzil has told Alex many, many stories about his own grandfather Henry, who claimed to be a professional horse jockey and about Henry's connections to a Grand National horse he helped train. This quest provided our genealogist Mike with a number of challenges, but thankfully we were able to answer many of these questions for Alex at Ffos Las race course. At Ffos Las, we were also able to present Alex with something very rare indeed, which she was excited about. I'm doing my best not to give any spoilers, so I'll leave it there.
Sian Lloyd's family history took the production team all over Wales
Our final programme of the year is with a face everyone knows, from her many years of presenting the national weather. Sian Lloyd certainly had the most geographically-challenging programme we've ever made. We travelled from the far north of Anglesey, to Llanberis, through Snowdonia, down to Llandovery and finished the story in Carmarthenshire. As a director, you want to spend as much time on location filming as you can; but having so much travelling to do, you really need to use your filming time very wisely. All that said, because of the richness of our travels, Sian's programme is probably the most visually stunning we've ever made.
A new series of Coming Home starts Friday 5 December on BBC One Wales at 7.30pm
