22/10/2023
Such a fantastic production to work on with an amazing cast and crew. Can't wait to watch it 😍 https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=719033803597962&id=100064740457122
FIRST LOOK: Nia Roberts, Rhodri Meilir, Richard Harrington, Suzanne Packer and Hannah Daniel head the ensemble cast of absurdist Welsh comedy drama Pren ar y Bryn (Tree on a Hill), launching next month on S4C and on the BBC in 2024.
Written and created by Ed Thomas (Hinterland/Y Gwyll), the series is set in the fading frontier town of Penwyllt, where longtime married couple Margaret and Clive Lewis suddenly find themselves slap bang in the middle of a mystery that gets the whole town buzzing and looking over their shoulders. But thankfully this lot know how to find joy in the absurd and light in the darkest of places.
The series was filmed at the top of the Swansea valley in and around Ystradgynlais and Abercrave, where writer and director Thomas spent his formative years, and whose family ran a butcher shop for over a century.
He said: “It’s a big little story about change where resilience and a healthy sense of the absurd are worth holding onto when the world all around you just stops making sense. It’s a local story but I hope in its own way, it’s a story that audiences from anywhere can relate to”.
Nia Roberts, who plays Margaret, said: “There is a plot that will keep people on the edge of their seats, but it’s also a drama about middle-aged people – something that we don’t see enough. It’s quirky, and it’s going to make people cry, laugh...It’s unique!”
When asked to describe the series, Hannah Daniel, who plays Sylvia, said: “It’s Ystradgynlais on Acid.”
Pren Ar y Bryn is a Fiction Factory coproduction with S4C, BBC Wales and All3Media International with support from Tinopolis and Welsh Government via Creative Wales.
The first episode of Pren ar y Bryn will be broadcast on S4C on Sunday, November 19, available to watch on S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer. The English language version, Tree on a Hill, will air on the BBC in 2024.