Welsh soap star in new TV role as screen heavy

A popular Welsh TV soap star and singer is to return to the screen in a new role in a top drama series.

Emyr Gibson’s role as an unsavoury screen heavy in the S4C drama series, Stad, is a total contrast to the kindness and fun he shows in his day job as the creative practitioner at Pendine Park’s Bryn Seiont Newydd care home in Caernarfon.

He found fame as part of the cast of the hit S4C Welsh language series Rownd a Rownd for 18 years and also played leading roles in gritty TV dramas Hidden and Forgotten Journeys.

Multi-talented Emyr is also shining in his role at Bryn Seiont Newydd.

Awards

He was presented with the Sir Bryn Terfel Foundation Wales Care Award for promoting the Arts in Social Care at the 2024 Wales Care Awards.

Made by Caernarfon-based independent production company Cwmni Da and Triongl the second series of Stad is a reboot of Tipyn o Stad, which concluded in 2008 after seven seasons.

Emyr, 47, said Stad revolves around the adventures of the Gurkha family and their neighbours in the Maes Menai housing estate. Filming has taken place in locations around Caernarfon and Bangor and is expected to be broadcast air in 2025.

Travel

“It was good to be back in familiar surroundings of a drama set and it was great that much of it was filmed in Caernarfon.

“I was able to get up in the morning and walk to the Cwmni Da offices and get to work,” he said.

Reluctant to reveal too much about the plot lines in the upcoming series Emyr was able to say he plays the part of Norman.

“It’s a relatively small part and Norman appears in the first and last shows. He is an Irishman who is told to travel to north Wales to collect €15,000 (euros) from one of the characters.

“Although it’s a small part it involved quite a lot of preparation. I had to adopt a Dublin-accent and spent time watching YouTube videos to get it right.

“And it was also good to be cast as a slightly iffy-character too. My past roles have always been the good guy but I’ve been told that my height would lend myself to playing this sort of character,” he said.

Demands

Emyr joined the enrichment therapies team at Pendine Park’s Bryn Seiont Newydd just over two years ago and was bowled over by the way his acting skills and musicianship fuse perfectly with the demands of his new job.

He works closely with the home’s musician-in-residence Nia Davies Williams and other enrichment staff to provide a varied and therapeutic programme of arts, crafts and music activities for residents living with dementia.

“Leaving Rownd a Rownd after so many years was difficult but since then many doors have opened up and I’m relishing the various projects I’ve been involved with.

“I really enjoy working at Bryn Seiont Newydd. I never thought I would work at a care home but it is very rewarding and I feel at the end of the day I have given something back to the community,” he said.

Emyr added he is always ready to rise to new challenges, of whatever shape or form.

He has worked closely with local schools on Arts Council for Wales funded projects aimed to boost pupils’ confidence and learning skills through developing creativity.

An accomplished tenor, Emyr is a member of Trio Cymru with friends Bedwyr Pari and Steffan Lloyd Owen who have performed all around Wales and recorded a top selling album.

Gin

Emyr has hosted many Nosweithiau Llawen across Wales and been a DJ. Recently he compered Roc y Ddol, a day-long music festival in Bethesda, near Bangor, introducing the various bands onto the stage.

He’s also a director of Afallon Môn gin distillery where he’s in partnership with two friends, Arwyn and Gethin Owen.

Their artisan Celtic gin won a Best in Wales and Best in Britain accolade in The Gin Guide’s 2021 industry awards.

He said he would consider further acting parts in the future and has recently prepared call tapes for two other acting jobs in the past few days.

“I enjoy working with the residents and staff Bryn Seiont Newydd and all the other things I’ve been doing but if a part comes up then I would consider it. It would be really great if I could combine it with working at Bryn Seiont Newydd,” he said.

Bryn Seiont Newydd manager Sandra Evans said: “We’re all excited about Emyr’s new role in Stad and can’t wait to see him pop up on our screens.

“He’s clearly a very talented actor because the rather unpleasant character he’s playing is so different to the real life Emyr who brings so much joy and fun to our residents and his colleagues.”

Written by Angharad Elen and Dafydd Palfrey the cast includes Lowri Palfrey, Siôn Eifion, Gwenno Fôn, Begw Rowlands, Gwenno Hodgkins, Wyn Bowen Harris and Elen Gwynne.

Producer Eryl Phillips said:  “Caernarfon is unique and a special place, its people have character, backbone and energy.

“The series taps into these special attributes in its portrayal of the Ghurka family who face many challenges and hardships but always find a way to carry on, and you better have a smile on your face”