Pobol y Cwm

Pobol Y Cwm has been running for nearly, 30 years. It was and is the first and only Welsh Soap, and has been the cornerstone of s4c since it's formation in 1982. It is set in Ceredigion, West Wales, which has a high Welsh Speaking Population, as the soap is in Welsh. Some of the most popular characters over the years have been Dic Deryn, Meic Pierce, Denzil, Reg Harris, Kath Jones, and Mrs McGurk (Mrs Mac). It is a highly enjoyable daily soap, although it's appeal seems to mostly be older people rather than the youngsters who still tend to watch English soaps such as Eastenders, which is a shame really.

Pobol Y Cwm is set in the village of Cwmderi in Carmarthenshire (not Ceredigion or Cardiganshire to give it it's English name) It is by far and away the best soap opera to be made in Britain at the present time, it has it all. Drama, humour and humanity. I particularly like the way it handles certain real life situations such as bereavement, in a far more realistic manner than any other soap. Maybe because I live not to far from where it is set and many places I know well are talked about and filmed in means I can relate to it more than one set in the East end of London where every other person is a gangster. It's subtitled into English, so if you can receive it them give it a whirl.

Last year I was bored and stumbled upon the soap on iplayer, I realised it was in welsh and decided to give it a try as it had subtitles. I haven't looked back since then, as someone who finds it hard to get into soaps, I was immediately hooked after a couple episodes. The writing and the storylines felt significantly better to the ones on the english soaps. The language barrier may seem intimidating and might deter you from watching but once you watch long enough you pick up on certain phrases/words. The subtitles aren't always a hundred percent accurate when translating every word into english but it does the job. I definitely recommend this soap to non welsh speakers as it's great to learn a new language while you watch. I always joke to myself that if I watch long enough then I won't need subtitles anymore! 😅

A great soap which is more 'true to life' than any English soap. The casting is 'spot-on' and the story lines are very up-to-date. It helps that the soap is recorded each day and is aired on TV that night usually so little details like newspapers and rugby matches etc are for the day shown if you see what I mean! My family and I watch using the subtitles but are learning Welsh. I think it's a shame that more people don't watch it because subtitles put them off, but if they watched just a couple of episodes they would be hooked. My children are teenagers and they love it. It appeals to all ages, and the fact that they are all doing well learning Welsh is a plus. We have watched this program for years and we will continue to do so.

In the past I've had my phases with Eastenders, Corrie and Neighbours. I found them all entertaining in the 00s but in the last 10 years or so I've found them all lacking soul, prioritising storylines over characterisation, having wooden dialogues instead of more dynamic scenes, and generally feeling serious and depressing.

About a year ago I was getting desperate for a soap fix, and suddenly remembered Pobol y Cwm. I'd never watched it properly, merely aware of it. I started by searching scenes on YouTube, and soon quite enjoyed the characters and the scenes. I then started watching it on iplayer and a year later I'm still a regular viewer.

What I like most about it is the breathing space they give the characters. A chance to be themselves in the pub, dabbling in petty dramas and generally being quite humorous. There is of course still real drama but it's well balanced and doesn't feel so oppressive. The acting is great and you can tell they enjoy doing it.

If there's any negatives I have to mention, it will probably be that some storylines seem to skip or be abandoned, for example some characters resolving tensions off-screen. But all in all a very enjoyable watch.