Alys (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Alys is a Welsh language
television series created by BAFTA award-winning scriptwriter Siwan Jones. The series follows single mum, Alys, who moves from Cardiff
to a dingy flat in a small West Wales town along with her 10-year-old son, Daniel, while trying to escape her past. Alys is played by actress Sara Lloyd-Gregory, in a part which was specially written for her. The show is also her first leading role. Co-stars include William Thomas
and Aneirin Hughes
, whom Gregory had worked with on Con Passionate
, another television drama written by Siwan Jones. The Show is produced by Apollo for S4C
. It began on Sunday 23 January 2011 as part of a new year line-up of brand-new television series on S4C. The first season consists of eight episodes. The season finale aired on 13 March 2011.
The first season has done very well and has mostly ranked in the top 10 of the top 20 Welsh programmes on S4C. There are no plans to release the first season of Alys on DVD
or Blu-ray. To view repeats of episodes, they are available on S4C online service, S4C Clic for a limited time. After they have finished airing, it is unknown if S4C will re-run the first season again.
Alys has been commissioned for a new season. Siwan Jones is currently writing season two and production is expected to begin soon. It may appear on television by late 2011 or early 2012. There is also the possibility of an increased number of episodes for season two due to the success of season one.
for her acclaimed television series Tair Chwaer and Con Passionate.
The idea for Alys came to Jones while she was shopping in a small West Wales town. She watched as a group of people carried some furniture as she walked from the car park towards the town. Behind them was a dark tunnel which led into the heart of a building; while they were walking, some children followed along and as she watched on, this triggered the image for the series with became Alys. Jones' idea which started there was to create two worlds; one of working class people such as the shop owners in a small town; and the others who were unemployed and struggled to make ends meet, such as Sara Lloyd-Gregory's character, 'Alys'. She aimed to show how different these two worlds are and yet how similar they also are.
The story of the series is centred around the character 'Alys' as she moves to a small town in Wales with her 10-year-old son Daniel after fleeing her troubled life in Cardiff; she plans to start a new life and does anything she can to see that Daniel is looked after.
since 23 January 2011 with the first of eight episodes. It is available with English
subtitles. It is aired Sundays at 9.00pm with the episodes repeated Thursdays at 10.00pm. The show is also broadcast in high-definition
on Welsh freeview
channel S4C Clirlun. Episodes are available for up to 35 days after they air on S4C at the online service S4C Clic.
Television drama fans were given the chance to preview the first episode days before it was aired on TV. The previews took place in Llandeilo
's Civic Hall on Monday 17 January at 7.30pm, Bangor University
's JP Hall on Tuesday 18 January, and Theatr Brycheiniog
in Brecon on Friday 21 January. Following the screening, the audience discussed the show and asked questions to the panel connected with the series, including Siwan Jones, Sara Lloyd-Gregory and producer Paul Jones.
It has been advised that anyone under 16 should not watch due to strong language. Apart from the language, the show has also contained scenes of sex and sexual violence.
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
television series created by BAFTA award-winning scriptwriter Siwan Jones. The series follows single mum, Alys, who moves from Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
to a dingy flat in a small West Wales town along with her 10-year-old son, Daniel, while trying to escape her past. Alys is played by actress Sara Lloyd-Gregory, in a part which was specially written for her. The show is also her first leading role. Co-stars include William Thomas
William Thomas (actor)
William Thomas is a Welsh actor, who has appeared in many TV episodes and films. He made his first appearance on TV in 1974, and his work, as an actor, is still ongoing...
and Aneirin Hughes
Aneirin Hughes
Aneirin Hughes born , is a Welsh television and film actor and a singer.Born in Aberystwyth in Wales as Aneurin Hughes, Hughes studied music at the University College of Wales Aberystwyth under Professor Ian Parrott. As a student Hughes's first acting experience was gained when he appeared in...
, whom Gregory had worked with on Con Passionate
Con Passionate
Con Passionate is a Welsh language television drama series, written by Siwan Jones and directed by Rhys Powys for S4C. The first two series were Teledu Apollo productions.-Plot:...
, another television drama written by Siwan Jones. The Show is produced by Apollo for S4C
S4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
. It began on Sunday 23 January 2011 as part of a new year line-up of brand-new television series on S4C. The first season consists of eight episodes. The season finale aired on 13 March 2011.
The first season has done very well and has mostly ranked in the top 10 of the top 20 Welsh programmes on S4C. There are no plans to release the first season of Alys on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
or Blu-ray. To view repeats of episodes, they are available on S4C online service, S4C Clic for a limited time. After they have finished airing, it is unknown if S4C will re-run the first season again.
Alys has been commissioned for a new season. Siwan Jones is currently writing season two and production is expected to begin soon. It may appear on television by late 2011 or early 2012. There is also the possibility of an increased number of episodes for season two due to the success of season one.
Development
Alys was created and written by Siwan Jones, whose work as a writer won her numerous BAFTA cymru awards and a Rose d'OrRose d'Or
The Rose d’Or is one of the most important international festivals in entertainment television. It was founded in Montreux in 1961 and has taken place in Lucerne since 2004. Producers, executives from independent and public service broadcasters and heads of production companies from over 40...
for her acclaimed television series Tair Chwaer and Con Passionate.
The idea for Alys came to Jones while she was shopping in a small West Wales town. She watched as a group of people carried some furniture as she walked from the car park towards the town. Behind them was a dark tunnel which led into the heart of a building; while they were walking, some children followed along and as she watched on, this triggered the image for the series with became Alys. Jones' idea which started there was to create two worlds; one of working class people such as the shop owners in a small town; and the others who were unemployed and struggled to make ends meet, such as Sara Lloyd-Gregory's character, 'Alys'. She aimed to show how different these two worlds are and yet how similar they also are.
The story of the series is centred around the character 'Alys' as she moves to a small town in Wales with her 10-year-old son Daniel after fleeing her troubled life in Cardiff; she plans to start a new life and does anything she can to see that Daniel is looked after.
Characters
- Alys, (played by Sara Lloyd-Gregory). Alys is a strong and independent person. Alys is from West Wales, but moved to Cardiff for university where she became pregnant. She is a young mother who has moved to a small town with her son, Daniel to escape her past in Cardiff, she fled Cardiff as the death of her brother and her boyfriend. With no job and no money she is given a dirty rundown flat, there she makes some very good friends with her neighbours across the hall, Ceri, Kevin, Shane and William. She will do just about anything to make sure Daniel eats and has nice things which includes stealing and prostitution. Her first "customer" is her landlord Eirwyn Toms. Alys's plan is to make enough money so that she and Daniel can move to America, so that Daniel can one day fulfill his dream of becoming an astronaut. Alys is almost always getting herself into trouble with the rich snobs in the town including clothes shop owner, Debbie, and Daniel's friend Alex's mum, Angie whom Alys seems to be falling for her husband, Chris. Alys is very helpful to her neighbours Ceri and William who have become like her family, she also hates drugs, and it also looks as if her past will sometime come back to haunt her.
- Daniel, (played by Zachary Mutyambizi). Daniel is Alys's young son, he often suffers by the things his mum gets up to, by the things that people say about her, but being young he doesn't really understand. He has a dream of one day becoming an astronaut. He is friends with Alex, Angie and Chris's son.
- Wiliam, (played by William ThomasWilliam Thomas (actor)William Thomas is a Welsh actor, who has appeared in many TV episodes and films. He made his first appearance on TV in 1974, and his work, as an actor, is still ongoing...
). William was once a Minister, but is now the town drunk, but he is a good friend to Alys and Ceri. His family don't want anything to do with him because of his drinking which is an embarrassment to them, his ex-wife, Lizabeth, and daughter, Catrin never want to see him, but Catrin really misses him. His nephew, Iestyn often comes to visit him at the flat, but with William's behaviour, he doesn't know why he even bothers. - Eirwyn Toms, (played by Aneirin HughesAneirin HughesAneirin Hughes born , is a Welsh television and film actor and a singer.Born in Aberystwyth in Wales as Aneurin Hughes, Hughes studied music at the University College of Wales Aberystwyth under Professor Ian Parrott. As a student Hughes's first acting experience was gained when he appeared in...
). Known as "Toms", he owns a garage and is the landlord of the flats. He is in serious debt and things in his and his wife, Heulwen's home are often repossessed, but he somehow manages to keep things afloat with the help of town mayor, Ron. Toms has gone to Alys for sex in order to pay for it, and afterward regrets it. The people of the town have been on to their secret affair. With the police often on his back he once tried to commit suicide by drowning himself. After the death of their daughter, Toms and Heulwen seem to have grown apart, but he seems to be falling in love with Ron's wife Debbie, who is also have problems with her husband. - Heulwen, (played by Gillian ElisaGillian ElisaGillian Elisa is an actress, singer, and comedian. Early in her career she was known by her full name of Gillian Elisa Thomas.-Career:...
). Heulwen is Toms' wife, who is mostly always seen in a depressed mood, after the death of their daughter Sarah and the fact that Toms is in a lot of debt. She is known as "Mrs. T" by the town's people. She went to visit her sister whom she hadn't seen in twenty years, her sister is Alys's mum, but having not seen Alys since she was a little girl she is unaware that it's the same Alys who lives in her town. - Ron, (played by Ifan Huw Dafydd). Ron is the town mayor, he is married to clothes shop owner, Debbie. He and Debbie often hold dinner party's at their home for Toms, Heulwen, Angie and Chris. Ron and Debbie were having little problems in their marriage for a while, but recently Debbie has discovers that Ron has pictures of young girls on his laptop, which has been stolen which Toms is in on.
- Debbie, (played by Shelley ReesShelley ReesShelley Rees is a Welsh television actress best known for playing the character of Stacey Jones in the Welsh television soap Pobol y Cwm. She also plays the part of Jo Pugh in the S4C drama series 2 Dy a Ni, for which she was nominated for a Welsh BAFTA award.-References:...
). Debbie is the nosy clothes shop owner who is married to town mayor, Ron. She is often bullied by her husband and is unable to stand up to him. She has a little dog called Toots who is like a child to her. She has spotted Toms entering and leaving the flats while visiting Alys on various occasions but has kept it from Heulwen. The discovery of the pictures on Ron's laptop has put a strain on their marriage and finds herself turning to Toms for comfort. With the theft of Ron's laptop and the murder of Toots, she begins to feel the pressure. - Angie, (played by Kate JarmanKate JarmanKate Jarman is a bilingual Welsh actress. She is most well known for playing lead characters in Hearts of Gold, Nice Girl and Pobol Y Cwm.- Early life :...
). Angie owns a restaurant in town, in which she and her husband, Chris try to get up and running. Her son, Alex is Daniel's friend from school, which Angie has treated bad at times for Alys's behaviours. Angie has told Alys that it isn't fair on Daniel by the things she gets up to. Angie and Chris has talked about Alys in the past about her being a prostitute. Angie is now beginning to suspect that something is going on between Chris and Alys. - Chris, (played by Rhys ap William). Chris is Angie's husband, he often doesn't agree with or like the thing his wife comes out with, especially towards Alys. He and Angie have discussed Alys being on the game and Chris has confronted Alys because of this, he has also been worried about Daniel because of the way Alys behaves, like the time he found Daniel home alone while Kevin was supposed to be watching him. Recently he has been falling for Alys, and Daniel has spotted him and his mum kissing, and they have also slept together.
- Kevin, (played by Aled Pugh). Kevin is Ceri's boyfriend, the brother of Shane and the son of Bessie. He has cheated on Ceri with Vicky and has a child with her, but he is still in love with Ceri. He and Shane discovered a headless body at the local Chinese and has become involves in crime related businesses. He and Shane recently stolen a laptop from Ron and is demanding a ransom for giving the laptop to Toms.
- Shane, (played by Carwyn Glyn). Shane is Kevin's younger brother and son of Bessie. He works with his brother, and after the discover of the body in the Chinese he sent the message to Toms and was later arrested. He likes Ceri, so he hated the fact that Kevin cheated on her with Vicky.
- Ceri, (played by Catrin Mai Huw). Ceri is a depressed young woman, she lives across the hall from Alys, who has become her best friend. She is living with her boyfriend Kevin who has been cheating on her with another woman, Vicky whom he has a child with, but Ceri already knows this and hasn't said anything, until one night she snaps and smashes a chair over Kevin. On a night out with Alys, Ceri recognises that their taxi driver is the same man who had raped her in the past and as a result gave birth to a baby boy, so she slits her wrist. Alys helps Ceri get revenge by finding the man and making him pay for what he done, but he attacks Alys, so she, Ceri and William find him and William smashes his car windows.
- Bessie, (played by Delyth Wyn). Bessie is the mother of Kevin and Shane. Her family is always involved in criminal activity, one of her other sons is in prison and when Shane is arrested she is worries the same thing will happen to him. She likes Ceri, and hates that her son, Kevin has cheated on her with Vicky, who has moves across the street from her.
- Iestyn, (played by Gareth Nash). Iestyn is William's nephew, he works in the local library. He often goes to visit William but hates the way William behaves, he has warned Alys to stay away from his uncle because he doesn't want someone like her near him.
Broadcast
Alys was broadcast on Welsh language channel S4CS4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
since 23 January 2011 with the first of eight episodes. It is available with English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
subtitles. It is aired Sundays at 9.00pm with the episodes repeated Thursdays at 10.00pm. The show is also broadcast in high-definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
on Welsh freeview
Freeview
DTV Services, trading as Freeview, is the name for the collection of free-to-air services on the Digital Terrestrial Television platform in the UK. The service is jointly run by its five equal shareholders, BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky and transmitter operator Arqiva. DTV Services is designed to market...
channel S4C Clirlun. Episodes are available for up to 35 days after they air on S4C at the online service S4C Clic.
Television drama fans were given the chance to preview the first episode days before it was aired on TV. The previews took place in Llandeilo
Llandeilo
Llandeilo is a town in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated at the crossing of the River Towy by the A483 on a 19th century stone bridge. Its population is 1,731.The town is served by Llandeilo railway station on the Heart of Wales Line.- Early history :...
's Civic Hall on Monday 17 January at 7.30pm, Bangor University
Bangor, Wales
Bangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of...
's JP Hall on Tuesday 18 January, and Theatr Brycheiniog
Theatr Brycheiniog
Theatr Brycheiniog is a modern theatre, arts and community venue in Brecon, the old county town of Brecknockshire and now part of south Powys in Mid Wales.- Location :...
in Brecon on Friday 21 January. Following the screening, the audience discussed the show and asked questions to the panel connected with the series, including Siwan Jones, Sara Lloyd-Gregory and producer Paul Jones.
It has been advised that anyone under 16 should not watch due to strong language. Apart from the language, the show has also contained scenes of sex and sexual violence.
Season 1
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External links
- Official site (Welsh)
- Official site (English)
- Alys - interview with Sara Lloyd-Gregory (Welsh)
- Alys - interview with Sara Lloyd-Gregory (English)
- Alys - Facebook page