Gogglebocs Cymru welcomes fresh new faces

Gogglebocs Cymru is welcoming a new raft of talent in its latest series, including a young woman who was paralysed from the waist down in an accident who is determined to speak up for disabled people.

Sophie Jones, who lives near Bangor and hails from St Clear’s in Carmarthenshire, uses a wheelchair and has daily epileptic seizures as a result of brain injuries caused by a fall in 2019 when she hit her head on a plasterboard wall.

The 29-year-old is one of the new members of the cast on the new series of the hit S4C programme, Gogglebocs Cymru.

She’s sharing the sofa with her “second mother”, Morfen Munro, 56, who’s part of the team of support workers who provide round-the-clock care at her specially adapted bungalow.

According to Sophie, she’s determined to show the world that she’s not defined by her disability.

The first programme in the new series, starting at 9pm on Wednesday, October 16, is a special to mark the 50^th anniversary of the popular S4C soap opera, Pobol y Cwm.

Coincidentally, Sophie appeared as an extra in Pobol y Cwm when she was in school, as well having minor roles in network TV dramas Dr Who and Casualty.

Fresh talent

Sophie and Morfen are among seven new households freshening up the Gogglebocs Cymru cast of TV critics this time round.

Once again they will be watching and giving their views on a broad range of programmes from S4C, other channels and streaming services.

There are five episodes being shown in the first run and after a six week break, there will be a Christmas special on December 27 when  regular contributors will be joined by a celebrities before a further run of five programmes in March and April next year.

Sophie said: “I’m confined to the wheelchair since I had a fall in 2019 and cracked my head causing a brain injury but I want Gogglebocs Cymru viewers to see beyond the chair and see me as a person.”

Morfen, 56, added: “We have a large screen TV in the house and we watch all sorts of programmes together from whole series to films and documentaries.

“One series we watched recently was We Might Regret This, a comedy drama about a thirty-something tetraplegic who moves from Canada to London.”

Originally from Llanberis, Morfen worked as an interior designer in Yorkshire for more than 25 years and moved back to her native Wales in 2020. She became a support worker and has known Sophie for about a year.

“Sophie is a lovely and brave young woman and I’m loving the work, it’s so different to what I used to do and it’s so rewarding,” she said.

Sophie added: “My mother passed away in 2017 from Sepsis and I’ve become very fond of Morfen.

“She’s about the same age as my mother and we have similar conversations and a lot of fun together. She’s become my second mother and I’m very lucky.”

New experience

The TV remote control is firmly in Nia Davies’ hand at her home in Rhosmeirch, near Llangefni, Anglesey, and partner Kevin Williams has no chance to watch any programme if it involves football.

But the couple, who met while volunteering at Ysbyty Gwynedd’s radio station, enjoy watching travel and food programmes together.

“Travelling and eating out is what both of us enjoy doing,” said Kevin, “and if I want to watch any football I’ve always got my phone.”

Kevin’s day job is presenting a programme on the Capital Cymru radio station. He began at Radio Ysbyty Gwynedd and graduated to broadcasting on Radio Ceredigion, an independent station that could be heard from Bangor to Carmarthen, before moving to Capital’s forerunner Marcher Sound.

Both are looking forward to taking part in the new series of Gogglebocs Cymru.

“It’ll be a new experience for both of us. I’ve done a lot of radio but not much television. Some people might say I’ve got a good face for radio,” joked Kevin.

Excitement

Gogglebocs Cymru is made by two Gwynedd-based television production companies, Cwmni Da, in Caernarfon, and Chwarel, from Cricieth

Series Producer Euros Wyn said the line-up includes several cast members from the last series.

They include John Willliams and his grandson, Cian, from Porthmadog; brothers Huw, Stephen and Mike Williams from Brynaman and Mark Rogers and Carwyn Davies, friends who live in Manchester although Carwyn is originally from Penygroes and Mark from Bangor.

Euros said: “The old members of the cast are as excited as the new ones about the new series and they are looking forward to getting to grips with the programmes they will be watching.

“For the special to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Pobol y Cwm, we’ve decided to invite current and former members of the Pobol y Cwm cast to sit on their sofas and comment on that week’s television as well as our regular cast.

“Also, S4C have gathered together some really iconic moments from Pobol y Cwm, and it will be really interesting to see how our cast reacts to them!” added Euros.

Gogglebocs Cymru starts on S4C on Wednesday, October 16, at 9pm. English subtitles will be available and the programme can also be viewed on S4C Clic, BBC iPlayer and other streaming platforms.