Wales? Whales! New series to explore ‘Wonders of the Celtic Deep’

A new series exploring what creatures live in the briny deep off Wales’ coast will air on BBC Wales next month.

Made by Cardiff-based indie One Tribe TV, Wonders of the Celtic Deep includes footage of blue sharks and Fin whales – the second biggest animal on the planet after Blue Whales.

The final episode in the four-part series also highlights the work of scientists and volunteers around Wales and investigates the bigger environmental issues raised.

The Ultra High Definition (UHD) footage, captured by some of the filmmakers behind natural history series Blue Planet, includes the courtship rituals of bottle-nosed dolphins in Cardigan Bay, and footage of basking sharks congregating.

The dive team also filmed on the wreck of the SS Gwynfaen cargo ship, 1.5km off-shore in Caernarfon Bay and home to creatures including, sex shifting cuckoo wrasse, Dead Man’s Fingers coral, huge sea urchins, an ancient lobster and a giant conger eel.

The series is accompanied by a soundtrack composed by Welsh composer Paul Mealor and performed by the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales.

The series has been part-funded by Creative Wales, an agency that promotes the growth of the creative sectors across Wales.

Welsh Government Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden, said: “We are delighted to support a real first for the creative industries in Wales. Wonders of the Celtic Deep is celebration of Welsh creativity – a stunning orchestral soundtrack created by a Welsh composer, voiced by a Welsh legend and filmed across some our country’s most stunning coastal locations.”