Dolores arrives in Cwmderi / Dolores yn cyrraedd Cwmderi

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Fel cyfres ddrama deledu parhaol hiraf y BBC mae Pobol y Cwm wedi gweld nifer o newidadau ers ei greu 41 o flynyddoedd yn ôl. Mae nifer o gymeriadau wedi cyrraedd Cwmderi, a nifer wedi gadael. A phob un gyda’i stori bersonol, trafferthion a ffordd o fyw. Yn ystod y blynyddoedd hynny hefyd, ry’n ni wedi gweld nifer o newidiadau i’r Gymru dan ni’n ei hadnabod.

Mae’n angenrheidiol ein bod ni’n cadw Pobol y Cwm yn gyfredol a realistig, ac fel cyfres rhaid i ni addasu’n gyson ac adlewyrchu Cymru fel y mae hi.

Rwy wedi bod yn Gynhyrchydd y Gyfres ers Chwefror 2015 ac ers y dechrau wedi teimlo ei bod hi’n bwysig bod cymeriadau newydd yn cael eu cyflwyno er mwyn adlewyrchu natur amrywiol Cymru. Wrth wneud hynny ry’n ni wedi cyflwyno cymeriadau newydd sbon a byddwn yn gweld rhai yn gadael dros y misoedd nesaf.

Un o’r cymeriadau fydd yn glanio yng Nghwmderi yn yr wythnos nesaf ydi Dol (Dolores Alvarez Collins). Dol yw mam Debbie a dydi Dol ddim yn siarad Cymraeg.

Mi fydd Dol yn cyrraedd, heb rybudd, o Bontypridd, a dyma’r tro cyntaf i’r fam a’r ferch weld ei gilydd ers nifer fawr o flynyddoedd. Glöwr oedd tad Dol, ac roedd ei mam yn ferch i un o’r teuluoedd o’r Rhes Sbaeneg (y Sbaenwyr a ddaeth fel ffoaduriaid o Ryfel Cartref Sbaen yn ystod y 1930au).

Bu farw rhieni Dolores pan oedd hi yn ei harddegau hwyr, wedi i’r teulu symud i Glyncoch, tu allan i Bontypridd. Felly, drwy ryw wyrth ddaearyddol, derbyniodd Dolores addysg uwchradd ddwyieithog yn Rhydfelen. Doedd dim Cymraeg i’w chlywed ar yr aelwyd, ond roedd hen ddigon i’w chlywed yn yr ysgol. Mae ganddi hefyd ambell air Sbaeneg, ac mae hi’n hoffi meddwl bod na sangria yn ei gwythiennau a bod yr heulwen Sbaeneg yn ei DNA!

Dros y blynyddoedd mae Dolores wedi colli ei Chymraeg, a dydi hi ddim yn treulio amser gyda siaradwyr Cymraeg eraill adref yng Nghwm Rhondda. Er nad ydi hi’n siarad yr iaith bellach, mae hi’n deall bob gair ac yn mynnu bod siaradwyr Cymraeg yn sgwrsio gyda hi yn eu mamiaith.

Dyma’r tro cyntaf i Bobol y Cwm ddefnyddio’r ffordd yma o gyfathrebu – dau gymeriad yn siarad yn naturiol gyda’i gilydd ond mewn dwy iaith hollol wahanol.

Yn ystod fy magwraeth yng Ngogledd Cymru mi brofais i’r ffordd yma o fyw gyda’m teulu a ffrindiau, roedd hi’n bwysig felly ein bod ni’n portreadu hyn yn y gyfres, er mwyn adlewyrchu rhai o gymunedau Cymru fel ag y maen nhw heddiw ma. Yr actores o Gymru Lynn Hunter (Baker Boys, Pam Fi, Duw? a Cucumber yw dim ond rhai o’i chyn-brosiectau) sy’n portreadu’r cymeriad. Ganwyd a magwyd Lynn ym Merthyr Tudful ac mae hi ei hun wedi arfer cymdeithasu a gweithio mewn sefyllfa ddwyieithog.

Fel person di-Gymraeg ei hun, mae gan Lynn nifer o ffrindiau sy’n siarad yr iaith ac yn naturiol yn ei siarad o’i chwmpas, gyda hi yn ymuno yn llawn yn y sgwrs yn Saesneg. Gan ddyfynnu Dol, mae Lynn “yn deall pob gair ond yn methu a gwneud y rhan ‘siarad’”. Roedd Lynn felly wrth ei bodd pan gyflwynwyd cymeriad o’r fath i’r gyfres, gan ei bod yn adlewyrchu yn berffaith ei phrofiad hi a nifer o bobl eraill mae hi’n ei hadnabod o fywyd yng Nghymru.

I gychwyn efallai y bydd gwylwyr yn ei chael hi’n anodd addasu i’r newid sydyn rhwng y ddwy iaith o fewn golygfa, ond ar ôl cwpl o olygfeydd mae’n anhygoel pa mor sydyn mae’r glust yn addasu ac mae’r ddeialog yn llifo’n llyfn rhwng cymeriadau. Dwi’n siwr y bydd rhai yn synnu bod cymeriad o’i math yn cael ei chyflwyno i gyfres, ond dyma’r realiti o fewn rhai cymunedau yng Nghymru heddiw, a ry’n ni wedi gosod yr her i ni’n hunain o wir adlewyrchu’r ffordd y mae rhai ohonom yn byw nawr, a hynny mewn ffordd sy’n uchelgeisiol o greadigol.

Wrth i amser fynd heibio ac wrth i Dol glywed mwy o Gymraeg o’i chwmpas, caiff mwy o hyder gydag ambell air allweddol yn dod 'nôl ati – felly mi fydd hi’n dechrau cynnwys y rhain yn ei sgyrsiau.

Dwi’n gobeithio y gwnaiff y gwylwyr gymryd Dol at eu calonnau, mae hi’n chwa o awyr iach yn y pentref gyda chalon enfawr o dan y croen caled. Dwi hefyd yn gobeithio y bydd hi’n rhoi hwb o hyder i’n gwylwyr di-Gymraeg i fod yn rhan o sgyrsiau yn yr un modd a Dol gyda ffrindiau a theulu, ac o fewn amser y byddant yn ennyn brwdfrydedd i ddysgu’r iaith neu fod yn rhan o’r cymunedau Cymraeg heb fedru’r iaith.

Mi fydd Dol yn cyrraedd y Cwm ar Hydref 20, 2015 – dewch gyda ni ar y daith gyffrous yma a chroesawu Dol fel unrhyw un arall o gymeriadau Pobol y Cwm!

Dolores arrives in Cwmderi





As the BBC’s longest running television continuing drama Pobol y Cwm has seen many changes since its conception 41 years ago. Many characters have come to Cwmderi, and many have gone. Each have their own personal stories, troubles and ways of life. During those years we have also seen many changes in the Wales we know.

It’s essential we keep Pobol y Cwm current and realistic, and as a series we also have to constantly adapt and reflect Wales as it is.

I have been Series Producer of the show since February 2015 and from the start felt it important that new characters be introduced to reflect the diverse nature of Wales. In doing so we have seen the introduction of brand new characters and we will see some others leave over the coming months.

One of the next to make her presence known in Cwmderi in the coming week is Dol (Dolores Alvarez Collins). Dol is Debbie’s mother and Dol doesn’t speak Welsh.

Dol will arrive unannounced from Pontypridd, and it will be the first time for mother and daughter to see each other in many years. Dolores’ father was a coal miner, and her mother was the daughter of one of the Spanish Row families (the Spaniards who came over as fugitives from the Spanish Civil War during the 1930s).

Both Dolores’ parents died when she was in her late teens, after the family moved to Glyncoch outside Pontypridd. Therefore, through a geographical fluke, Dolores received bilingual secondary education in Rhydfelen. There was no Welsh to be heard in Dolores’ childhood home, but there was plenty to be heard when she was at school. She also has a few Spanish words, and she likes to think that sangria is in her blood, and that the Spanish sun is part of her DNA!

Over the years Dolores’ Welsh has been forgotten, as she doesn’t spend time with other Welsh speakers at home in the Rhondda Valley. Despite not being able to speak the language anymore she still understands every word and insists that Welsh speakers converse with her in their mother tongue.

This way of communicating will be a first for Pobol y Cwm – two characters naturally speaking to each other but in two totally different languages.

Whilst growing up in North Wales I experienced this way of life first hand with family and friends, it was therefore important to me that we portrayed this on the show, in order to reflect some of the communities of Wales as they are today. The character is portrayed by Welsh actress Lynn Hunter (Baker Boys, Pam Fi, Duw and Cucumber to name but a few of her credits). Lynn was born and raised in Merthyr Tydfil and herself is used to socialising and working in a bilingual environment.

A non-Welsh speaker herself, Lynn has many friends who are Welsh speakers and who naturally speak in Welsh around her, with her being able to fully join in the conversation in English. To quote Dol, Lynn “understands every word, but can’t do the speaking bit”. Lynn was therefore delighted that such a character be introduced to the series, as it reflects her and many others that she knows’ experience of life in Wales perfectly.

At first some viewers may find it hard to adjust to the fast changes between languages within a scene, but after a couple of scenes it is amazing how quickly the ear adjusts and the dialogue flows smoothly between characters. I’m sure that some viewers will also be surprised such a character is introduced to a Welsh series, but this is a reality in some Welsh communities today, and we’ve set ourselves the challenge of truly reflecting the way some of us live now, in an ambitiously creative way.

As time goes by and Dol hears more Welsh around her, her confidence will grow and some key words will come back to her – so she will start to add these to her conversations.

I am hoping that viewers will take Dol to their hearts, as she is such a breath of fresh air in the village and has a heart of gold underneath the hard exterior. I also hope that it will give our non-Welsh speaking audience the confidence to engage in conversations in a similar fashion with friends and family, and in time may enthuse them to possibly learn the language or feel that they can be a part of their Welsh communities despite not being a Welsh speaker.

Dol will make her first appearance on October 20, 2015 – come with us on this exciting journey and embrace Dol like any other character on Pobol y Cwm!