S4C cancels drama series about paedophile headteacher

Martin Shipton

S4C has decided not to broadcast a miniseries it commissioned from an independent TV company about the crimes of paedophile headteacher Neil Foden.

It is understood the decision was made after one of Foden’s victims made a personal appeal to S4C chief executive Geraint Evans about the distress the series would cause if broadcast.

Foden was jailed for 17 years in 2024 for a series of sex crimes involving children.

S4C will have to pay an undisclosed amount to the TV production company Mojo. An internal review will be held into decision-making about the production.

It is understood that legal issues were not the reason for the cancellation and that the decision was taken solely in the interests of the victims.

A statement issued by S4C said: “S4C has an important role in telling stories that shine a light on matters of public interest. However, following careful consideration, we have concluded that it would not be appropriate to proceed with the drama series provisionally titled Y Pennaeth. The wellbeing of those affected by these events comes first.

“This is S4C’s decision, and we apologise for the distress this has caused. Out of respect for the privacy of those affected, we will not be commenting further.”

When the three-part drama starring Mark Lewis Jones was announced in August 2024, S4C said it would examine the failures and missed opportunities to stop Foden’s crimes.

Y Pennaeth (The Head Teacher) was based on evidence and notes from the trial, which took place at Mold Crown Court, and an independent report on the case written by expert Jan Pickles. Y Pennaeth recounted the events from the point of view of two young girls who survived the abuse. These characters and many of the scenes were fictionalised to protect the identities of the survivors.

Safeguarding failures

S4C said the drama would examine how Foden took advantage of the girls’ personal situations, the failures of safeguarding procedures and the missed opportunities to prevent further crimes.

During the research and writing phase, the author and production company worked with a journalist who was said to act as a point of contact between them and those involved in or affected by the events.

During the development phase, the production company was also in contact with North Wales Police as a matter of courtesy. According to S4C’s statement at the time, the police ensured that all survivors involved in the court case were aware of the project, and the production company offered them access to professional support.

Y Pennaeth was written by Llinos Gerallt (Yr Amgueddfa, Rownd a Rownd, Pobol y Cwm), produced by Llyr Morus and directed by Huw Chiswell. MOJO Productions had been developing the series with S4C for 18 months at the time of the announcement in August.

S4C’s drama and film commissioner said at the time: “This is an important and shocking story about how one man in a position of trust and power betrayed his status over a period of many years, and asks difficult questions about cultures where one individual is seen as someone who cannot be challenged.

“Developed with great care and sensitivity, the production deals with the subject in a responsible way, focusing on the wider results of the betrayal by a public figure who was entrusted with responsibility and care.”

Y Pennaeth was due to be broadcast on S4C in 2027.

‘Anti-hero’

However, one child protection expert said it was the wrong time and that the drama risked presenting Foden as “some kind of anti-hero”.

Helen Mary Jones, a former Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd and an independent child protection expert, said: “It’s important that we ask to what extent will the voices of the survivors be at the heart of all this?”

“There are plenty of television programmes that have contributed to positive social change,” she told BBC Radio Cymru’s Dros Frecwast programme.

“[But] to what extent is there a risk that the programme will portray Neil Foden as some kind of anti-hero?

“I hope that the companies responsible for producing the programme place the survivors’ voices at the centre of the story. If they succeed in giving the victims a voice, it could [be] an incredibly important drama.”

Gwenllian Gravelle, S4C’s drama and film commissioner, defended the drama at the time, saying it was “an important and shocking story about how one man in a position of trust and power betrayed his status over a period of many years, and asks difficult questions about cultures where one individual is seen as someone who cannot be challenged”.

“Developed with great care and sensitivity, the production deals with the subject in a responsible way, focusing on the wider results of the betrayal by a public figure who was entrusted with responsibility and care,” she said.