''Caerdydd'' is a Welsh language television programme set in

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

made by

Fiction Factory Fiction Factory were a Scottish New wave music, new wave band from Perth, Scotland, Perth. Formed in 1982, they are best known for their single "(Feels Like) Heaven", which peaked at #6 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was written by Eddie Jo ...

for Welsh public service television station

S4C S4C (, ''Sianel Pedwar Cymru'', meaning ''Channel Four Wales'') is a Welsh language free-to-air public broadcast television channel. Launched on 1 November 1982, it was the first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speakin ...

. The series is "a stylish, new drama about modern, urban Welsh-speakers living in a bilingual city" following "a group of modern urban twenty- and thirtysomethings" with "their complex friendships and relationships etagainst a backdrop of relentless socialising". First commissioned by

's drama editor Angharad Jones in 2005, as part of a drive by

to reach a younger audience, the third series of ''Caerdydd'' started its run on

on 30 March 2008. A fourth series was commissioned and went into production in Spring 2008. It started broadcasting on 14 June 2009.

Awards and nominations

''Caerdydd'' (2nd series) has received three nominations for the ''2008

Bafta Cymru BAFTA Cymru (or BAFTA in Wales) is the Welsh branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and was founded in 1987.Bafta Cymru BAFTA Cymru (or BAFTA in Wales) is the Welsh branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and was founded in 1987.S4C S4C (, ''Sianel Pedwar Cymru'', meaning ''Channel Four Wales'') is a Welsh language free-to-air public broadcast television channel. Launched on 1 November 1982, it was the first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speakin ...

. * the large amount of English spoken, not just as some characters are non-Welsh speakers, but also English words in Welsh dialogue. * explicit sex scenes of both a heterosexual and homosexual nature.

"Sex In The Assembly" controversy

A row started after the broadcast of episode three in series III as it emerged that a sex scene was actually filmed ''on location'' in a toilet room of the

Senedd The Senedd ( ; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, Its role is to scrutinise the Welsh Government and legislate on devolve ...

, the Welsh National Assembly building, and not in a television studio. Officials of the National Assembly for Wales Commission who approved the filming for the Neuadd area, the corridors of the building and for one scene in the baby-changing room, were not made aware of the nature of the scene. The scene itself, filmed on 14 March 2008, involves Lea Kennedy (played by Alys Thomas) who is working for an unnamed party group and her much older boyfriend Stephen James (Dewi Rhys Williams) having sexual intercourse. As a result,

announced that it was investigating the matter and had contacted producers. One AM, William Graham (Conservative) called for scripts to be vetted more closely in the future.

's investigation came to this conclusion: ''S4C has looked into the circumstances surrounding the filming of drama series Caerdydd at the Senedd and is satisfied that the production company followed the correct procedures. We are confident that Senedd personnel who dealt with this issue were not misled.'' The National Assembly's investigation came to this conclusion: ''The National Assembly has carried out a full internal review of the circumstances of the filming of Caerdydd. We can confirm that at no stage of the negotiations about the use of the building for filming, or during the filming itself, was the content of the scene disclosed by the programme makers. Despite this setback, the Assembly is committed to being open and accessible to all, including programme makers, and we sincerely hope that this does not prevent us from working with responsible companies in future.''

Characters and cast

* Peter Marshall ( Ryland Teifi) * Emyr Tomos (Lee Haven-Jones) * Osian James (

Gareth Pierce Gareth Pierce (born 19 February 1981) is a Welsh actor and musician who has appeared in various television series. In 2020, he began portraying Gavin Moss in BBC Radio 4's ''The Archers'' and became the second actor to play Todd Grimshaw in t ...

) * Lea Kennedy (Alys Thomas) * Stephen James (Dewi Rhys Williams) * Elen Aaron (Rhian Green) * Mike Powell (

Julian Lewis Jones Julian Lewis Jones is a Welsh actor. He is best known for his work in '' Invictus'' and the ''Justice League''. Career Originally from Anglesey, Jones lives in Nantgaredig. A fluent Welsh speaker, he has appeared on various productions on the ...

) * Kate Marshall Ford ( Mali Harries) * Robert Lewis ( Bradley Freegard) * Non Ellis Jones (Sue Roderick) III/2-8,10 * Natasha Jenkins (Ffion Williams) III/2-10, IV, V * Jamie Roberts ( Gareth Milton) IV-V (Dyfan Dwyfor) III/4-10 * Danny Ford (Huw Rhys) I, II * Gareth Pritchard (

Matthew Gravelle Matthew Ian Gravelle (born 24 September 1976) is a British screen actor from Porthcawl, Wales. Career Gravelle was born in Porthcawl. In 2003, Gravelle appeared in the BBC One drama series ''Holby City'' and was a regular in the acclaimed BBC ...

) * Ceri Price ( Siwan Morris) I, II, III/5-7,9,10 * Paul (Richard Shackley) * Siân Edwards (Iola Hughes) * Lleucu ( Tara Bethan) II, III/1-3 * Damian Charles ( Daniel Hope) I, II, III/1-3 * Mike Thomas (Jâms Thomas) III/2,3,6-9 * ''Yr Arglwydd'' (Lord) Delme Richards ( Ian Saynor) III/2-4,7,9,10 * Ben (Jonathan Floyd) III/2-5 * Mared (Rhian Jones) III/3,4,6,7,9 * Rhys Johnstone ( Rhodri Meilir) I, II * Philip (Glyn Morgan) III/4,8,9 * Jane (Sharon Roberts) III/8,9 * Kylie Byrne (Jennie Crum) III/6,10 * Rhodri (Cellan Wyn Evans) III/9,10 * Sara Harris auren PhillipsIV-V Further cast: Catherine Ayers (Nia, I), Nathan Sussex, Sousila Pilay (II), Lillie Downie (Baby Ela Ford, III/4,6-10), Amelia Wyatt (Baby Ela Ford, III/3,4), Nick Ross (Gwilym, III/3), Lisa Zamira (III/3), Lee Bane (III/3), John Schumacher (III/3), Tomos James (III/3), Tyron Lopez (III/4), Gemma Prosser (III/4), Hazel Condon (III/4), Bethan Cecil (III/7), Charlote Grey (III/8), Poonah Najimohammadi (III/9), Rob Kendrick (actor) (III/9), Martin Glyn Murray (III/9), Elen Florence (I), Charmaine Hibberd (III/10), Kathryn Dimery (III/10), Megan Browne (Ela Ford),

Ross O'Hennessy Ross O'Hennessy (born 1974) is a Welsh actor. He is best known for his role of Lord of Bones in ''Game of Thrones''. He played roles in ''Hollyoaks Later'', '' Da Vinci's Demons'', The Musketeers, and playing the blood thirsty role of Sir L ...

John Davies The Immigration Officer

Production

* The series is produced for

by ''

'', a division of ''

Tinopolis The Tinopolis Group is an international TV production and distribution group with businesses based in the UK and US. It produces over 4,500 hours of television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving ...

''. * Directors: Ed Thomas (I, II, III/1-5), Dave "D.J." Evans (II, III/6-10), Ed Talfan (I, II) * Writers: Tim Price, Ian Staples (var. II, III/2,9), Anwen Huws (III/3,7), Roger Williams (III/4,6,8,10), Catrin Clarke (III/5,6) * Producers: Fizzy Oppè, Catrin Rees, Ed Thomas (III) * Line producer: Maurice Hunter (III) * Series 1 was filmed in the main from January to April 2005. Directors: Ed Thomas, Ed Talfan * Series 2 was filmed in the main from February to July 2006. Directors: Ed Thomas, Ed Talfan, Dave Evans. * Series 3 was filmed in the main from January to June 2007. Directors: Ed Thomas, Dave Evans * Series 2 and 3 were produced in HD format. * Series 4 has been commissioned and is currently in production. * Episodes are available (with on-screen English subtitles) on S4C's website for streaming for 35 days after initial broadcast. The first series went online each Saturday following the initial TV broadcast, without any restrictions to availability. * All episodes are fully subtitled, in Welsh and English. The Welsh subtitles are available for download. * All episodes in series 3 feature

audio description Audio description (AD), also referred to as a video description, described video, or visual description, is a form of narration used to provide information surrounding key visual elements in a media work (such as a film or television program, or ...

Broadcasts

Series 1

Series 2

The second series was repeated in February and March 2008.

Series 3

Series 4

References

External links

* Official Website (English)
Official Website (1st series)

Caerdydd on IMDB

Ruth McElroy: ''The Local, the Global and the Bi-Cultural: Welsh-Language Television Drama''
In: ''Critical Studies in Television'', Vol. 2, ed. 2, pp. 77–95 (Autumn 2007). . {{Media in Cardiff 2006 British television series debuts 2009 British television series endings S4C original programming 2000s Welsh television series 2000s British drama television series Tinopolis Television shows set in Cardiff Welsh-language television shows 2000s British LGBTQ-related drama television series