Dylan Thomas season: My Grandfather And Me

My grandfather’s success on the radio was a result of his wit and charm, sense of fun, empathy and, above all, his hard work. These attributes brought my grandfather respect from many of his colleagues. Contrary to popular belief, Ralph Maud, in his introduction to his book The Broadcasts, a collection of broadcasts for the BBC, stresses that Dylan was ‘a professional radio broadcaster, whose services as a performer and scriptwriter were sought and appreciated’.

In terms of his other writing, he was a perfectionist. He worked slowly, experimented with a single phrase; writing sentences a hundred different ways before he was content. I’m heartened to discover that this same work ethic was clearly shown during his time at the BBC.

The BBC archive undoubtedly reveals to us that, as well as being a great writer, my grandfather was an excellent actor. Richard Burton described Dylan as an ‘explosive dynamic performing force’, and ‘a dangerous rival for other actors’. My mum, Aeronwy Thomas, had strong memories of her father. Recalling their weekly reading sessions, acting out the stories, she described her father, while reading Hansel and Gretel, adopting ‘a falsetto voice’ making ‘quite a convincing old lady’. As well as dramatic parts, Louis MacNeice discovered that, when necessary, Dylan was capable of ‘underplaying’ a role.

This was never more evident than when my grandfather read his own broadcasts, letting the words speak for themselves. The one that really stands out for me is Return Journey, which shows how he was profoundly moved during the Second World War – especially after seeing the impact of a three-night blitz on his hometown of Swansea. The script sees Dylan describing the devastation caused, while also seeking out his younger self amongst the destruction.

In his usual style, my grandfather researched the piece meticulously, in order to ensure that he had correctly named all the shops and buildings that had been ruined. On a different level, hearing my grandfather’s beautiful voice describing a mischievous boy taunting cats, and the exploits of his eccentric aunts and uncles in his classic A Child’s Christmas in Wales, never fails to make me laugh. His friend Bert Trick described listening to him, saying: ‘The glorious voice boomed out of the loudspeaker’, and the ‘living room filled with the presence of Dylan’.

These are just a few examples from the 145 separate engagements that my grandfather had with the BBC. These included writing scripts, reading poetry and short stories, as well as acting. He also became a regular on many panel discussions, making him a well-known radio personality. I hope both the lighter, and the more serious, sides of my grandfather’s work for the BBC can be reflected in this season.

Welsh-language version

FY NHAD-CU A FI

Ffraethineb a chyfaredd, ei synnwyr digrifwch, ei empathi ac, yn anad dim, ei waith caled oedd yn gyfrifol am lwyddiant fy nhad-cu ar y radio. Enillodd y rhinweddau hyn barch i’m tad-cu gan lawer o’i gydweithwyr. Yn groes i’r gred boblogaidd, pwysleisia Ralph Maud, yn ei ragymadrodd i’w lyfr The Broadcasts, casgliad o ddarllediadau i’r BBC, fod Dylan yn ddarlledwr radio proffesiynol, yr oedd galw mawr am ei wasanaethau fel perfformiwr a sgriptiwr, a gwerthfawrogiad ohonynt. Yn ei waith ysgrifennu arall, roedd yn berffeithydd. Gweithiai’n araf, gan arbrofi gydag un ymadrodd unigol; ysgrifennai frawddegau gant o wahanol ffyrdd cyn bodloni. Calondid i fi yw darganfod bod yr un agwedd foesol hon at ei waith i’w gweld yn glir yn ystod ei gyfnod gyda’r BBC.

Yn ddi-os, mae archif y BBC yn dangos i ni fod fy nhad-cu, yn ogystal â bod yn llenor mawr, yn actor penigamp hefyd. Disgrifiodd Richard Burton Dylan fel perfformiwr grymus, deinamig a ffrwydrol, gan ddweud ei fod yn gystadleuydd peryglus i actorion eraill. Roedd gan fy mam, Aeronwy Thomas, atgofion cryf o’i thad. Wrth gofio eu sesiynau darllen wythnosol, yn actio’r storïau, disgrifiodd y modd y byddai ei thad, wrth ddarllen Hansel and Gretel, yn rhoi llais ffalseto ymlaen ac yn llwyddo i argyhoeddi fel hen wreigan. Yn ogystal â rhannau dramatig, darganfu Louis MacNeice y gallai Dylan, yn ôl yr angen, fod yn gynnil iawn wrth chwarae rôl.

Doedd hyn byth yn fwy amlwg na phan fyddai fy nhad-cu’n darlledu ei waith ei hun, gan adael i’r geiriau siarad drostynt eu hunain. Yr un sy’n dod i’r cof i fi yw Return Journey, sy’n dangos sut yr oedd dan deimlad dwys yn ystod yr Ail Ryfel Byd – yn enwedig ar ôl gweld effaith cyrch awyr tair noson ar ei dref enedigol, Abertawe. Yn y sgript mae Dylan yn disgrifio’r dinistr a achoswyd, tra’n chwilio ar yr un pryd amdano’i hun yn fachgen yng nghanol y distryw. Yn ôl ei arfer, ymchwiliodd fy nhad-cu y darn yn drwyadl, er mwyn sicrhau ei fod wedi rhoi enw cywir ar bob siop ac adeilad a chwalwyd. Ar lefel wahanol, mae clywed llais melodaidd fy nhad-cu’n disgrifio bachgen drygionus yn plagio cathod, a hynt a helynt ei fodrybedd a’i ewythrod ecsentrig yn y clasur A Child’s Christmas in Wales, yn gwneud i fi chwerthin bob tro. Disgrifiwyd ei lais gan ei gyfaill Bert Trick fel llais godidog a atseiniai o’r uchelseinydd, nes bod yr ystafell fyw yn llenwi â phresenoldeb Dylan.

Dim ond ychydig o enghreifftiau yw’r rhain o’r cant pedwar deg a phump o wahanol sesiynau a wnaeth fy nhad-cu i’r BBC, yn cynnwys ysgrifennu sgriptiau, darllen barddoniaeth a straeon byrion, yn ogystal ag actio. Daeth yn bresenoldeb rheolaidd hefyd ar sawl panel trafod, nes dod yn bersonoliaeth radio adnabyddus. Rwy’n gobeithio y gall y tymor hwn adlewyrchu ochr ysgafnach, ac ochr fwy difrifol, gwaith fy nhad-cu i’r BBC.

Hannah Ellis, Wyres Dylan Thomas