0:00:00 > 0:00:00- Subtitles
0:00:00 > 0:00:02- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:00:50 > 0:00:55- I'm Dylan Ebenezer, football - commentator and presenter of Sgorio.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01- Don't worry, we'll keep you - warm and cosy on Sgorio.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07- A mistake by Steve Evans, - straight to Jason Bowen.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10- Bowen has fallen, - so the pass goes back...
0:01:14 > 0:01:18- I first read Cyw Haul by Twm Miall - when I was 15.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21- It was one - of the first Welsh novels...
0:01:22 > 0:01:24- ..that I'd read for pleasure.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27- It wasn't a set book, - so I didn't have to study it.
0:01:27 > 0:01:33- I'd heard it was a good novel - and it certainly didn't disappoint.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36- I was living in Aberystwyth - at the time.
0:01:36 > 0:01:41- Unlike the main character, I had - no desire to leave my hometown.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45- It was refreshing - to read a book about everyday life.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49- It's the story - of a group of friends...
0:01:49 > 0:01:53- ..and the boredom - of their everyday lives.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56- It's great - to discuss the novel again.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00- The novel, put simply...
0:02:00 > 0:02:03- ..tells the story - of teenager Bleddyn...
0:02:03 > 0:02:05- ..and his life in a rural village.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10- Although he likes spending time - with friends and likes the area...
0:02:10 > 0:02:15- ..he longs to escape, believing - the grass is greener elsewhere.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19- The novel portrays - their daily trials and tribulations.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22- There is fun - and there is misbehaving.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25- There is romance - and there is drinking...
0:02:26 > 0:02:29- ..which appealed greatly to me - as a teenager.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37- "It was spring and we were sharing - two cans of lager by the river.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40- "Banjo, Milc Shec, Buwch and me.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43- "Everybody was fed up.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47- "There was nowhere to go - and nothing to do except complain...
0:02:48 > 0:02:50- "..and antagonize each other.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52- "The world was at a standstill.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57- "No past and no future, - just another miserable afternoon.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01- "We needed something - to lift our spirits...
0:03:01 > 0:03:06- "..because if we were honest, - we were all contemplating suicide.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10- "The spring offered something - for farmers and others.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13- "But it offered us - sweet Fanny Adams.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18- "Just another year of having - to go through the same rigmarole.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22- "I suddenly remembered - about Louisa Jane...
0:03:22 > 0:03:26- "..and what I'd seen - through her curtains weeks ago.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28- "I suggested we blackmail her...
0:03:29 > 0:03:31- "..to get beer money...
0:03:31 > 0:03:34- "..and the idea - was passed unanimously."
0:03:37 > 0:03:42- The first thing that struck me - was the main characters' language.
0:03:42 > 0:03:43- It felt fresh...
0:03:43 > 0:03:47- ..although the Northwalian accent - was different from my own.
0:03:47 > 0:03:52- I could hear the characters' voices - and their everyday language.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54- English words spelt phonetically.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58- It felt very fresh at the time.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07- It's a real laugh - and full of comical events.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12- There are also emotional scenes, - some of which are traumatic.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15- It all combines - to make a great read.
0:04:25 > 0:04:30- Llion Williams is the man - behind the pseudonym Twm Miall.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33- I'm on my way to meet him - in Llan Ffestiniog.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40- At long last, - I get to meet the author.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44- Llion Williams, thank you - for joining me in Llan Ffestiniog.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47- Is this pub - similar to the one in Cyw Haul?
0:04:47 > 0:04:49- Yes, very similar.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53- It was here that we filmed - the television series too.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57- I've been here - many times over the years.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00- When did you first start writing?
0:05:00 > 0:05:03- Where did the interest come from?
0:05:03 > 0:05:08- Cyw Haul was written - following a series of coincidences.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11- I was living in Cardiff - at the time...
0:05:12 > 0:05:14- ..when I came across the two Iwans.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16- Iwan Bala the artist...
0:05:16 > 0:05:19- ..and the late Iwan Llwyd.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23- We would often go for a pint - and they'd always say to me...
0:05:23 > 0:05:26- .."You should write something."
0:05:26 > 0:05:30- I don't know why they kept - saying it, they just did.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34- Because they kept on at me, - I started to believe them!
0:05:36 > 0:05:39- "O, Father, - behold your day is dawning
0:05:40 > 0:05:43- "The white wigwam..."
0:05:45 > 0:05:47- Damn! No, that's not right.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50- They say alcohol - kills the brain cells.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55- Pity that's not written - on Y Chwain's beer pumps.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59- I have to learn this - before Banjo and Milc Shec get here.
0:05:59 > 0:06:05- Bleddyn is the main character. - Is there much of you in him?
0:06:06 > 0:06:10- There must be an element of yourself - in the characters...
0:06:10 > 0:06:13- ..otherwise - you'd have nothing to say.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16- You need material from somewhere.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19- I suppose it's partly me...
0:06:19 > 0:06:23- ..but the majority of it - is down to my imagination.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26- Hooray! Alright?
0:06:29 > 0:06:31- Where are we going?
0:06:31 > 0:06:35- Ask the old man, but he's - forgotten his hearing aid today.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37- Where are we going, Sam?!
0:06:38 > 0:06:40- For God's sake!
0:06:40 > 0:06:45- The characters - are like local heroes.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50- You portray them wonderfully. - Are they based on real people?
0:06:50 > 0:06:53- Yes, I did base them on real people.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58- I was always interested - in these communities growing up.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02- There were two worlds - - the chapel and the pub.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06- You knew which types went to which.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10- I was interested in outsiders.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14- I was always interested - in people like that...
0:07:15 > 0:07:18- ..who didn't fit - a certain stereotype.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23- What's the secret to its success?
0:07:24 > 0:07:26- Perhaps it's a combination...
0:07:27 > 0:07:31- ..of dialect and the mundanity - of people's everyday lives.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33- Perhaps because it's true to life.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37- Was it intentional - or did it happen accidentally?
0:07:37 > 0:07:40- I've always liked authors - who write in that way...
0:07:41 > 0:07:43- ..such as - Caradog Prichard and Wil Sam.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49- I'm also fond of English authors - such as Charles Bukowski...
0:07:49 > 0:07:51- ..and Raymond Carver.
0:07:52 > 0:07:57- Iwan Bala's drawings - are quite striking.
0:07:57 > 0:08:02- He has a very simple technique - which complements the writing.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08- Where do you think - Bleddyn is these days?
0:08:09 > 0:08:12- I've no idea, to be honest.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14- I left him in one particular place.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19- Once a book is finished, - the characters are put to rest.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32- The novel contains a lot of humour.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36- It should carry a warning - on the cover...
0:08:36 > 0:08:40- ..because parts of it - make you laugh uncontrollably...
0:08:40 > 0:08:45- ..especially when Bleddyn is forced - to do things he doesn't want to do.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49- His mother sends him - to the home of Huws, the minister...
0:08:49 > 0:08:54- ..and he's persuaded to take part - in a competition in chapel.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57- "I took a detour on my way.
0:08:57 > 0:09:02- "I went to the back garden for a fag - and to think of a way out of it.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07- "After thinking for a while, - I came up with a great idea.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11- "What if I whacked myself - hard over the head with a hammer?
0:09:12 > 0:09:16- "I'd have a lump on my forehead - and be semi-concussed...
0:09:17 > 0:09:22- "..so they'd hardly force me - to take part in such a state.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26- "I went to the shed and picked up - the hammer, but chickened out.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29- "If I hit myself too hard, - I might go into a coma...
0:09:30 > 0:09:32- "..or suffer permanent brain damage.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35- "Better to be a contestant - than a cabbage.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38- "I picked up the saw - and rolled up my trouser leg.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44- "Some blood would do the trick...
0:09:44 > 0:09:48- "..but what if I sawed - my main artery and bled to death?
0:09:48 > 0:09:51- "There was nothing for it - but to go there.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56- "My one consolation was the prospect - of studying Mrs Huws's legs.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59- "She has one hell of a pair of pins.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03- "Looking at them beats - looking at girls in catalogues."
0:10:07 > 0:10:08- .
0:10:12 > 0:10:12- Subtitles
0:10:12 > 0:10:14- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:10:22 > 0:10:27- Someone who's been hugely influenced - by Llion's work is Dewi Prysor.
0:10:28 > 0:10:33- There are several novelists who - have popularized the Welsh novel...
0:10:33 > 0:10:35- ..and made it more pertinent.
0:10:35 > 0:10:40- For my generation, Twm Miall's - Cyw Haul really made its mark.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44- It was the first novel - that was relevant to my generation.
0:10:44 > 0:10:49- It reflected the culture, - humour, music...
0:10:49 > 0:10:54- ..and customs of my generation.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57- It was easy - to empathize with the subject.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00- It also went further - and shattered the taboos.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03- It made fun of the sacred cows...
0:11:03 > 0:11:07- ..of conservative Welsh society.
0:11:07 > 0:11:12- It was the first novel to portray - the rock-and-roll generation...
0:11:12 > 0:11:17- ..and the post-chapel, - hedonistic society we belonged to.
0:11:18 > 0:11:24- Twm Miall was of a generation - half a generation older than me...
0:11:24 > 0:11:27- ..and we looked up to them.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32- They were the cultural leaders - that we tried to emulate.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36- I remember where I was - when I first read Cyw Haul.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40- I was in a prison cell - in Liverpool in 1992.
0:11:40 > 0:11:45- It was the first Welsh novel - I'd read since my schooldays.
0:11:45 > 0:11:50- It showed me that Welsh literature - could be relevant to my generation.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53- It inspired me to write.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56- I'd always wanted to write...
0:11:56 > 0:12:00- ..but I wanted to write - about the world in which I lived.
0:12:00 > 0:12:06- When I read Cyw Haul, I saw that - it was possible in Welsh literature.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20- He's not home. He's not home.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23- The drongo's forgotten I'm coming.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27- Yes... indeed, Mr Huws, - it's a lovely day!
0:12:27 > 0:12:29- Bleddyn. Come in.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41- The Cyw Haul TV series - aired on S4C during the 1990s.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44- The main character - was played by Arwel Gruffydd.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52- When I read the novel, - I couldn't put it down.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56- I'd never read - anything like it before in Welsh.
0:12:56 > 0:13:01- It was a very honest novel. - It was also simple.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05- It was easy to read - and unpretentious.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08- It was fresh - and written from the heart.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13- In the novel, Bleddyn tends - to wear his heart on his sleeve.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18- He tells it as it is - and expresses his pain and anguish.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23- Portraying the role of Bleddyn...
0:13:24 > 0:13:26- ..was such a pleasure.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29- He's very endearing.
0:13:35 > 0:13:40- I was brought up - in the same area as Llion.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44- All the characters were based - on people in the Ffestiniog area.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47- I was very familiar - with the locality...
0:13:47 > 0:13:52- ..and the kind of people - who were portrayed in the novel.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56- I didn't base the character - on an actual person...
0:13:56 > 0:14:02- ..but I obviously knew people - like Bleddyn, Milc Shec and Banjo...
0:14:02 > 0:14:04- ..from my schooldays and so on.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10- Playing the role - in the television series...
0:14:12 > 0:14:15- ..was interesting - for me personally...
0:14:15 > 0:14:19- ..because I left the area at 18 - to go to university.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22- I moved to London...
0:14:22 > 0:14:25- ..and worked in the arts.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29- My life was completely different - from Bleddyn's.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33- Yet, perhaps if I'd made - different choices...
0:14:33 > 0:14:36- ..my life could have turned out - like Bleddyn's.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40- There's an element - of pity for him...
0:14:40 > 0:14:46- ..because Bleddyn's character - never got to see the world.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53- What's nice about reading the book - and watching the TV series...
0:14:53 > 0:14:56- ..is the humanity - that emanates from it.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00- There's adversity, - poverty and unemployment...
0:15:00 > 0:15:04- ..but there's also fun - and camaraderie.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07- There is compassion - and there is sadness.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11- There's plenty of laughter, - but most of all, there is humanity.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21- "The familiar ground - had a special charm."
0:15:27 > 0:15:32- As well as the comedy, there are - emotional excerpts in the book...
0:15:32 > 0:15:35- ..when describing old characters.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39- Every area has its local heroes - who are part of the community.
0:15:40 > 0:15:41- The same is true of Cyw Haul.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45- Some of the chapters - are stand-alone portrayals...
0:15:46 > 0:15:50- ..especially the descriptions - of someone like Nain Tyrpag.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03- "It was a summer's afternoon...
0:16:04 > 0:16:06- "..when I realized - Nain Tyrpag was ageing.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11- "I was very sad when I realized - she wouldn't be my Nain forever.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13- "I'd never considered it before.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18- "I always thought that if Tyrpag - was there, Nain would be too.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21- "The two are inextricably linked.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24- "Like a carpenter - and his fat lead pencil.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28- "Nain Tyrpag and I were tending - to her large garden that afternoon."
0:16:29 > 0:16:32- "All of a sudden, a black cloud - came to obscure the sun.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35- "For a few seconds, - Nain was an old, old lady.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39- "I think she realized - what I'd seen...
0:16:40 > 0:16:43- "..because she looked at me - as if I were a stranger.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45- "She looked very sad.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48- "The cloud passed by - and Nain's face brightened.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53- "There aren't many people like Nain - left in this world.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57- "Few people still do the things - that Nain used to do years ago.
0:16:57 > 0:17:02- "These days, everybody's the same. - Real characters are hard to come by.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05- "The world will be a poorer place...
0:17:05 > 0:17:08- "..when Nain and her ilk - vanish into oblivion."
0:17:20 > 0:17:22- I'm meeting - the Clwb Darllen Cofi book club...
0:17:23 > 0:17:26- ..to see if they enjoyed the novel - as much as me.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36- Before I ask you about the novel...
0:17:36 > 0:17:40- ..tell me what's so special - about this book club.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44- We've become great friends - over the years...
0:17:44 > 0:17:48- ..and got to know each other - through the book club.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50- It's a social gathering.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54- We all enjoy books - and we all enjoy reading.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57- We like discussing books too.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01- That's perfect for me. - Let's discuss Cyw Haul.
0:18:02 > 0:18:02- Did you enjoy it?
0:18:02 > 0:18:04- Did you enjoy it?- - We've read it for the second time.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08- It took a while - to get into the Wenglish.
0:18:08 > 0:18:13- I wasn't too keen on that at first. - I had to read the words aloud.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16- But by the end, - I found it quite funny.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19- I liked Bleddyn. He won me over.
0:18:19 > 0:18:24- He's a very sweet character - and acutely observant.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27- He's kind about his community.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31- I enjoyed it more this time - than I did the first time round.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36- I felt frustrated with Bleddyn - last time and wanted to shake him.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39- But this time, I thought...
0:18:39 > 0:18:41- .."Oh, isn't he lovely?"
0:18:41 > 0:18:45- I enjoyed it very much - as a teenager.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49- Would you say - it appeals more to boys than girls?
0:18:49 > 0:18:52- I read it - from a mother's perspective.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57- This young man wants his freedom - and wants to move to Cardiff.
0:18:57 > 0:19:02- My daughter is desperate to travel, - and she's off in the autumn.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06- I found myself - sympathizing with the mother...
0:19:06 > 0:19:10- ..whereas first time round, - I didn't think about the parents.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13- I was the same as him.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16- I felt for the females.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20- There wasn't much depth - to their characters apart from Nain.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23- He was a young lad...
0:19:23 > 0:19:28- ..who was desperate to chase them - and saw them as sexual objects.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32- His mother's character - didn't have much depth either.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35- But it's still fresh.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39- I did wonder if it would have - the same impact on me...
0:19:39 > 0:19:42- ..as it did when I first read it, - and it did.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44- It has an energy about it.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48- It still remains fresh. - It's like a breath of fresh air.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50- I don't know if you feel the same.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52- I don't know if you feel the same.- - Yes, I agree with you.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55- His innocence comes through.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59- He has nothing to do, so he - decides to read his hymn book.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04- We find it funny, but I doubt - my sons would think so. "What?"
0:20:04 > 0:20:06- He's off his head!
0:20:06 > 0:20:09- I think it's a novel of its time.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14- Is there a particular scene - that springs to mind?
0:20:14 > 0:20:17- I like the parts - about Nain Tyrpag...
0:20:18 > 0:20:20- ..and his descriptions of her.
0:20:21 > 0:20:26- The way he protects her - when he sees her getting confused.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29- He's angry - with the women in the Co-op.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33- You sort of think, - "Well done, Bleddyn."
0:20:42 > 0:20:46- It's hard to believe, - looking at these views...
0:20:46 > 0:20:50- ..but Bleddyn was desperate to move - away, especially towards the end.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52- He felt trapped here.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57- It's ironic that a compromising - situation with his aunt...
0:20:57 > 0:21:01- ..ultimately sets him free - when his parents realize...
0:21:01 > 0:21:05- ..it's time for him to fly the nest - and head for the big city...
0:21:06 > 0:21:08- ..and a new life in Cardiff.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11- A new chapter begins - in Bleddyn's life.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16- "The river's sound - told the whole story.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19- "I started to go for walks - on my own...
0:21:19 > 0:21:22- "..down to the river - and up to Graig Wen.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25- "The familiar ground - had a special charm.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29- "But it wasn't prepared - to let anyone go without a fight.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32- "The beauty of my surroundings - had escaped me.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36- "Leaves were changing colour, - the English people had gone...
0:21:36 > 0:21:38- "..and it was silent.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41- "The river's sound - told the whole story.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44- "It knew my history - better than anyone...
0:21:44 > 0:21:48- "..and had witnessed - many a performance.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52- "If I'd had the chance to live - the way I wanted to live...
0:21:53 > 0:21:56- "..I probably - wouldn't have wanted to leave.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59- "I didn't want a job - just for the sake of it.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02- "I didn't want to do - the same as everyone else.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05- "I didn't want to go - to the same pub.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09- "I didn't want to chase - the same girls over and over.
0:22:09 > 0:22:15- "I didn't want to drink with Banjo, - Milc Shec and Buwch all the time.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19- "I wanted to meet new people - and do interesting things.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23- "I wanted a life with a capital L."
0:22:48 > 0:22:50- S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.
0:22:51 > 0:22:51- .