On the Thursday evening, I traveled up to the Lloyd George Museum to screen films and TV clips from our collection with a connection to Wil Sam. The evening included a clip of Wil Sam on Hel Straeon in a bike festival in York and clips of amateur films taken by Guto Roberts, showing him riding his motorbike and fixing push bikes.

I also showed the classic Ifas y Tryc – written by Wil Sam and created on screen for S4C by Taliesin. The film follows the turbulent Ifas y Tryc, played by BAFTA-Wales winning actor, Stewart Jones.

A lot of the audience, especially the younger ones hadn’t seen Ifas y Tryc before, so it was great to be able to show it to them. It shows how Ifas y Tryc is a timeless classic, and as relevant and funny today as it was in the 1980s!

Paul Flynn MP
Christopher Brain
John Scott
D. K. Jones

Remember that you can come here to watch the material at the Archive.  Just make a request, for the items that you wish to see, on our online catalogue.

One of the films we showed was ‘Muriau Segontium’, a 1979 film produced by HTV. The film follows two young boys from Caernarfon, Gerwyn Owen and Azahar Hughes, as they run around the town causing havoc and talking to local characters. We were fortunate enough to have Gerwyn Owen at the screening, and he presented the film to the audience.It’s great to be able to include films from ITV’s archive collection in such screenings.

Our next community screening will be in Machynlleth in April.

Therefore, it was good to meet the staff that we’re familiar with via phone/email and get a tour of the news studio and gallery which broadcasts daily. Formerly known as the HTV Television Centre, this mammoth tv complex was built at the height of a prosperous period for HTV (Harlech Television), in 1984. These days, the ITV Cymru Wales set-up has downsized from the 1980s and the site is now also home to other independent television and media companies.

Take a note of the departments from yesteryear;

The hall was full, the occasion having drawn people from far and wide who wanted to see once again the characters so familiar to them as they grew up in the village, and who had contributed so much to the fabric of life there.  There was a lot of audience reaction to seeing the two old sisters milking the cow and churning butter in the old-fashioned way, and to hearing the mischievious comments of the old singer in response to Dai Jones’s questioning.

Welsh-languagae television came into its own long after many of the traditional ways of doing everyday things had disappeared from our homes, and long after the heyday of Ritchie Thomas as an entertainer, but these two programmes captured something of that way of life before it became too late.

Last week, Trystan and I traveled to Dyffryn Ardudwy, for a screening with the Cymdeithas Festri Lawen Horeb. Around 30 of its members attended, and everyone enjoyed seeing some of the area’s old characters coming back to life on the big screen. It’s always good to hear the audience reacting to what’s on the screen. Thank you to the society for the welcome, and for the tea and cakes at the end!

On Sunday night, John Reed, our preservation officer went to London for a screening of The Life Story of David Lloyd George at the Barbican. Around 130 people came to see the film. Neil Brand was also present to provide live piano accompaniment to this silent film. The appeal and history of this unique film continues to fascinate  audiences it seems.

The next few weeks are also going to be busy. This afternoon, Rhodri and I will head off to Dolgellau for a screening there, and on Monday, Iwan will be off to Penmachno. No rest for the wicked!

Nos Iau diwetha, teithiodd Trystan a fi i Ddyfryn Ardudwy, a chynnal noson o ffilmiau a rhaglenni teledu lleol o’r casgliad i Gymdeithas Festri Lawen Horeb. Mynychwyd y noson gan tua 30 o aelodau, a bu i bawb fwynhau gweld hen gymeriadau’r ardal yn dod yn fyw ar y sgrin fawr. Mae hi wastad yn beth braf clywed y gynulleidfa yn ymateb i’r ffilmiau hyn, ac ar ddiwedd y dangosiad, clywais sawl stori ddifyr am y cymeriadau yn y ffilmiau. Diolch i’r gymdeithas am y croeso cynnes, ac am y paned a’r bara brith ar ddiwedd y noson!

Nos Sul, 17 Chwefror, aeth John Reed, ein Swyddog Cadwraeth i Lundain ar gyfer dangosiad o’r ffilm The Life Sotry of David Lloyd George. Cynhaliwyd y dangosiad yn y Barbican, a daeth tua 130 o gynulleidfa i weld y ffilm. Roedd Neil Brand, y pianydd, hefyd yn bresennol i chwarae cerddoriaeth byw i’r ffilm fud hon. Mae chwilfrydedd am y ffilm yn amlwg yn parhau, a cynulleidfaoedd yn mwynhau clywed ei hanes unigryw.

Mae’r wythnosau nesaf hefyd yn mynd i fod yn brysur, gyda dangosiadau yn Nolgellau, Penmachno a Groeslon. Digon i’n cadw’n brysur!

Enquiries vary from individuals asking for domestic copies to screenings in theatres and village halls, from educational projects to commercial requests by television companies etc.

Here are examples of television programmes this month, where footage from the Archive have been used in the production:

DAVID LLOYD GEORGE

Programme 1        Programme 2

These two programmes were shown on 13 and 20 January to mark 150 years since the birth of Lloyd George.

HENO (Welsh magazine programme)

Clips were shown of the big snow in Cardiff during 1962 ‘Roath Park 1962‘, following all the snow we’ve had during this last week.  The programme was shown on 21 January.

WELSH TOWNS

Archive footage was used in the following programmes within the second series of ‘Welsh Towns’.  Eddie Butler tells the story of various towns across Wales as he visits them.

Barry – shown on 8 January

Wrecsam – This programme will be shown on 29 January

Day Dot minus twelve! The exhibition, Dot Dot Dash: Communicating in Wales opened before Christmas and we’re busy preparing for a day of activities focused on it, coming up on Saturday, 26 January.
A comic-strip workshop is one of the highlights, by top comic-book artists, Mike Collins and David Roach (Doctor Who, Marvel etc) and a drawing by Mike Collins will be given away in the Twitter competition that’s running at the moment. (Question: how many regenerations of Doctor Who have there been?)
Another undoubted highlight will be the behind-the-scenes tours of the Screen and Sound Archive, a rare opportunity to see areas normally out of bounds to the general public, including the cells where film, video and sound material are kept and the wonders of the technical block. One of the cells is lined with copper, and another is effectively an enormous fridge. The latter is named ‘Limbo’ – you’ll have to come on the tour to find out why!

To book your tickets for the tour, please visit the Library’s online shop. For more information about Day Dot, please visit the Library’s website.

The Archive is home to a number of Christmas-related material which includes carols, Christmas songs and Plygain music. These exist on Television and Radio programmes, as well as sound recordings.

Christmas songs are sung by artists such as Bryn Terfel, Rebecca Evans, Stuart Burrows, Iris Williams, Jac a Wil, Cantorion Cynwrig, Male Voice Choirs and the latest CD to arrive here is ‘Baby, it’s cold outside‘ by Cerys Matthews.

In the  television and radio collection, we have programmes such as ‘Merched yn Bennaf‘ (BBC Radio Cymru), in which Ruth Parry discusses welsh carols with Phylis Kenney. Also ‘Carol Ni‘ (BBC Radio Cymru), ‘Carols for Christmas‘ (BBC 2) and ‘Seiniau’r Nadolig‘ (S4C) feature Rhuthin’s Youth Choir singing Christmas carols.

Our collection also feature Plygain songs and Christmas services, for example a carol service in Llandaff Cathedral and Llangernyw Church.  ’Caniadaeth y Cysegr‘ (Songs of Praise) with Tywyn School and Côr Bro Dysynni, and in 1964 Christ College Chapel Choir released a record. More examples can be seen on our online catalogue.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.