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Opinion

The need for a Welsh TV station in English has never been greater

04 Jan 2025 7 minute read
Men Up. Image: Quay Street Productions, Boom Cymru, BBC Cymru Wales

Stephen Price

Despite some notable exceptions including Wynne Evans’ appearance on Strictly, Mike Bubbins taking home a Celebrity Mastermind trophy and, of course, the Gavin and Stacey finale, this year’s festive viewing confirmed something I’ve been feeling for all too long now – that the BBC’s take on diversity bears no resemblance to Wales, or anywhere else in the UK other than the south east of England.

Since 2020 especially, our TV screens have appeared much more diverse than in decades gone by, and yet from the Weakest Link to House of Games and the most-watched dramas and soap operas, you’re still hard pressed to find an accent from Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

England is the default setting – The UK’s other countries othered and optional.

A typical example, on Celebrity Mastermind on 31 December, we had Olga Koch, Eddie Kadi, drag artist Kate Butch and ex-Emmerdale actress Sami Winward.

The following day, on 1 January, it was time for Bill Fellows, Ruby Bhogal, Tori Allen-Martin and Matt Forde to take to the iconic Mastermind hot seat.

Yet again, not one face from the UK’s nations other than England.

Diversity targets

In September 2024, the BBC published its new diversity targets.

The BBC’s “ambitious” new creative diversity commitments within programme making teams aim to “ensure that the stories told on-air are authentically reflective of audiences across the UK”.

The new plan includes raising representation targets for TV production teams across ethnicity, disability, and socio-economic diversity from 20% to 25% across all production roles.

The BBC commissioned the Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity to conduct a review as part of their journey to ensuring that the BBC ‘is for everyone’.

Lenny Henry. Image: BBC

But is this task even possible, especially when fighting against the tide of streaming platforms’ growing market share and audiences’ increasingly polarised views and expectations?

England is home to roughly 84% of the UK’s population, the other countries making up the remaining 16%.

Interestingly, the ethnic minority makeup of the UK stands at around 17%, with the wide umbrella term of ‘Asian’ making up the largest share.

Watching British TV, however, the demography is more akin to an English take on an American black and white binary. The same goes for the UK’s airwaves.

Take this week’s (consistently watchable) House of Games for another example.

Playing the week-long battle, we’ve had Gareth Malone, Desiree Birch, Jon Richardson and Jennie McAlpine. Fabulous TV. Eminently watchable. But yet again, we’re watching English/American TV.

Every now and then, Kiri Pritchard-McLean pops along, and maybe a few others I’m missing, but it’s more-often-than-not a very English affair.

Only Connect

One notable and brilliant exception is the superb Only Connect.

Made in Wales, with a strong roster of Welsh folk in the credits, the show regularly makes mention of Wales and the Welsh language and it’s an utter joy to watch Victoria Coren Mitchell in quick-witted action.

A glimpse at what’s possible when Welsh talent is given a chance, either in front of or behind the camera.

Only Connect’s Victoria Coren Mitchell. Image: BBC

Playing a purely numbers game, naturally England’s ‘stars’ and non-stars-alike should make the cut more often on ‘British’ TV, but the opportunity to give a leg-up to people from the Celtic nations is continually missed, and time and time again we, from our nation steeped in culture and the arts, miss out on an opportunity to see ourselves represented.

Gavin and Stacey’s Christmas Day finale became the most-watched festive television programme in 16 years, drawing in an incredible 12.3 million viewers.

The much-loved BBC sitcom’s final episode dominated the ratings battle on Christmas Day, achieving the highest viewing figures for any non-sporting event in over a decade.

The BBC achieved complete dominance of the Christmas Day ratings, securing all top 10 spots for the first time in its history, and yet Wales and the other nations had a poor showing as usual.

Siphoning a little middle-of-the-road content into BBC Wales, or ITV Wales, might be enough for some, but it’s hardly the same as having a channel of our own – just enough to hoodwink and calm disquiet.

Lost Boys & Fairies. Image: BBC

Men Up was one of the best things on the box over Christmas 2023, while Lost Boys and Fairies proved a highlight of 2024.

The viewing figures of Gavin and Stacey prove the appetite is there for Welsh content, but we just aren’t getting it.

We need and deserve to see our own stories and our own people on screen – the impacts of which are infinite.

Main stage

I’m tired of Welsh roles not going to young Welsh actors, and our arts and industry being overlooked on the main stage.

Documentaries on our own history, culture, music and arts.. A Welsh perspective on the wider world.. Game shows and dramas with more than a token Welsh player.. a showcase for Welsh film, past and present.

It really is time we had a main stage to call our own.

An English language TV channel for Wales would sow countless seeds and provide an opportunity to create genuinely good Welsh productions.

On a deeper level, it would also provide a cohesive and unifying focal point for the nation in much the same way we once looked to the BBC.

English validation

Despite so much talent and incredible content coming from Wales, we still make the mistake of valuing it and viewing it through English or UK-wide success.

A lot has gone on since Cool Cymru and Twin Town, but we’re content with rehashing it instead of fighting for this as the norm.

So desperate are we for Welsh celebrity news in English in our home-grown media, the reports on Amy Dowden, Wynne Evans and Gavin and Stacey got a little tedious in 2024.

Crumbs from the table and cloying faux-praise. Count me out.

With news of *gasp* two Welsh people (although one not actually Welsh) making it to the Traitors, again, we all jumped on the subject.

Our Welsh language music players are smashing it, doing it their way, and largely ignored by the English press but carrying on regardless.

How much other Welsh talent are we just not seeing, not platforming?

The answer

In the meantime, and as a ‘new Welsh speaker’, I cannot recommend S4C enough for daily viewing, or watching on S4C Clic.

To see Wales and Welsh people on TV shouldn’t be newsworthy.

We should be taking such things for granted like people from pretty much any (non-colonised, dare I say) country in the world.

Heledd Cynwal, in S4C’s highly-acclaimed production, Cynefin

From Cynefin to Am Dro, Y Byd ar Bedwar to Dan Do, S4C’s content is consistently top notch, inspiring, watchable and relatable.

Welsh language TV and cinema, with groundbreaking shows like Pam Fi Duw, helped feed my passion for both the Welsh language and Wales itself.

I want a diverse media landscape in all its ways, shapes and forms, but it’s time we weren’t only offered it through England’s lens.

The BBC, along with all the other channels of the UK, need to do much better and to give more space to people from the Celtic nations.

For the time being, however, we would all benefit from tuning in to content made in Wales for Wales.

Until we get our own channel in English, give S4C your viewership, subtitles or not.

You’ll thank me later.


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Steve. Thomas
Steve. Thomas
2 days ago

Spot on. Believed this fo many a year. A chance for Welsh talent to be displayed. There must be a wealthy Welsh person out there willing to kickstart this ambitious plan

Robert Knight
Robert Knight
20 hours ago
Reply to  Steve. Thomas

Yes, come on Michael Sheen, Anthony Hopkins you are our only hope go for it.

Frank
Frank
2 days ago

I don’t see the problem in making Welsh/English programmes. Just do scenes/takes in Welsh then do the same scene in English. Sorted. S4C need to spread their wings and make new dramas, something they used to do well at one time, but now it’s almost a cartoon/children’s station..….all repeats. In its current form it is a complete waste of time and money. Why they need top level management is a mystery. Gwynfor Evans would be so disappointed how it has turned out.

Ianto
Ianto
2 days ago
Reply to  Frank

But that rules out using talented performers that don’t speak both languages. We really do need a separate English channel.

Frank
Frank
2 days ago
Reply to  Ianto

Well, these ‘talented performers’ need to learn a bit of Cymraeg if they want work very much like the Cymry have learned to speak English. It does not necessarily need to be a one way street 100% of the time.

Ernie The Smallholder
Ernie The Smallholder
2 days ago
Reply to  Frank

Unfortunately the UK still holds our purse-strings. While they continue to tax and control our nation’s finance and macro policies we will not be the priority. We must have our own media including broadcasting. We must be a fully complete working nation with an independent economy. We can be and will be, like every other nation in Europe. Wales has two main languages as one peoples. England has many languages, including many Asian languages. We each have our own cultures and therefore need independent home produced media. Just as we should have our own laws, economy, government, politics and political… Read more »

Howie
Howie
1 day ago
Reply to  Frank

Recent addition of Ar y Ffin to S4C and iPlayer wth a mix of Welsh and English language characters the drama based around Newport shows what can be achieved to get both languages onto the screen in one package.

Is BBC Wales funded on Barnett basis, licence payers or a accountancy basis, what I see is BBC devolving English language programming to be made in Wales then using as Welsh content to meet their statutory obligation.

Erisian
Erisian
1 day ago
Reply to  Frank

Simply not S4C’s job. I refer you to its charter.
But an additional Welsh channel in English must be given serious consideration.

Ann
Ann
14 hours ago
Reply to  Frank

There have been plenty of dramas done by the double filming method in recent years, and they have been very successful on BBC -Y Gwyll / Hinterland, Un Bore Mercher / Keeping Faith, Craith / Hidden, Pren ar y Bryn / Tree on the Hill, Cleddau, and Ar y Ffin (I haven’t caught up with that yet). Personally I think double shooting is a waste of money and they should only be filmed in Cymraeg with sub-titles as there is plenty of appetite around the world for dramas in many languages other than English with sub-titles (Scandi-noir and Walter Presents).… Read more »

FyMarn
FyMarn
2 days ago

Why BBC Wales don’t just follow the BBC Scotland approach, I don’t know.

They explicitly state they target having English language Welsh programmes on BBC outside of Wales as though that’s something to focus their very limited budget on.

Just give us a proper, separate BBC one Wales like Scotland get.

Mawkernewek
Mawkernewek
2 days ago
Reply to  FyMarn

I would think it better, if there is to be a new English language channel focused on Wales, that it be independent of the BBC.

Pedro Griffiths
Pedro Griffiths
1 day ago
Reply to  Mawkernewek

Yes defund the BBC and have independent TV stations.

Rob
Rob
1 day ago

I don’t always agree with how the BBC operates or how it is funded, but I would much rather keep it than to end up like America. Commercial breaks literally every 5 minutes, blandish programming aimed at the common denominator, having to ensure that it cannot offend anyone (this goes to the right as much as it does to the left, ie no bad language or adult themes because it offends religious people). At least the BBC provides a variety of different programming.

Rob
Rob
2 days ago
Reply to  FyMarn

I’m not sure if the BBC Scotland channel was a good idea. There is no longer a BBC Two Scotland (its now the same as England), which means Scottish specific programming is further down the EPG (on channel 9). But I agree BBC 1 & 2 Wales need more English language Welsh specific programming.

Mawkernewek
Mawkernewek
2 days ago

When was the last time you heard a proper Cornish accent on any TV channel?

WilliamsG
WilliamsG
2 days ago

We always think of it as the EBC (English Broadcasting Corporation) rather than the BBC. Wales or anything relating to Wales are very rarely mentioned. From sport to the news, everything is told as if the only viewers are English

Rob
Rob
1 day ago

ITV Wales needs to have more freedom like STV and UTV do in Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively.

Could the local TV stations (Cardiff TV, Swansea TV, North Wales TV etc) that was setup in the 2010s could be used to establish a new Wales wide channel? They now seem to be taken over by Talk TV. If so it should keep the regional opt-outs particularly as many up north do feel neglected by Welsh TV programming as its largely focused on the south.

Linda Jones
Linda Jones
1 day ago

I completely agree. The BBC in it’s current form seems to focus more on the SE of England, the 17% minority groups and the US than Wales. We hardly get a look in,

Andy Palmer
Andy Palmer
1 day ago

Every body who is Welsh should be speaking Welsh. There should be limited English for everyone else. cymraeg yw’r iaeth CYMRU.

Susan Davies
Susan Davies
1 day ago
Reply to  Andy Palmer

I will always champion the Welsh language. However, I’ll be speaking whichever language I wish in the country I was born and raised in, thank you very much.

Garycymru
Garycymru
1 minute ago
Reply to  Andy Palmer

At a time when the Welsh language is actually going through a decent revival, statements like that could destroy all of the hard work being done.
Leave the “talk our language” rants for the lesser countries.

Richard Thomas
Richard Thomas
1 day ago

I’m sure most of us are old enough to remember HTV and if you were in a different part of the UK the different broadcasters in different regions.
The problem is that ITV is no longer a network of regional broadcasters.
Local programming both in Wales and the rest of the UK has suffered as a consequence.
We don’t need to reinvent the wheel, we just need to find where it rolled off to.

Last edited 1 day ago by Richard Thomas
Pmb
Pmb
1 day ago

S4C is economically unviable, we all know why it is there but it can not stand on its own , in honesty Wales or rather the majority of people would be better served as a whole if it was English language concentrating obviously on Wales .

Smithers
Smithers
1 day ago
Reply to  Pmb

Hark at you using taxpayer value for money as a device to erase an inconvenient history and culture. You’d make China in Tibet blush.

Burt smith
Burt smith
1 day ago

3 million people n Wales ,
Less than a 1/4 speak Welsh ,the bbc we know is a racist institution ,why would you want anything to do with it ?

Smithers
Smithers
1 day ago

Any such station should include the global diaspora in its target audience.

Darren
Darren
20 hours ago

Agreed 100%. In fact, Wales specific media is needed more than ever, especially in relation to the news.

Llinos dafydd
Llinos dafydd
13 hours ago
Reply to  Darren

I am sure such a paid for subscription service would prove a roaring success.

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