Cefin Roberts Cofio

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-# Remember

-# Remember #

-Hello and welcome to Cofio...

-..where we get to know

-more about our celebrities...

-..with the help of archive footage.

-On the sofa is an actor, singer,

-composer and theatre director.

-He's an author too.

-In other words, a very talented man.

-Moreover, he's shared his gifts...

-..by inspiring others.

-Cefin Roberts, welcome.

-What a long list!

-What a long list!

-

-Well, thank you, Heledd.

-You recently left

-Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru.

-You were the artistic director.

-Was it a good time to leave?

-It's rather curious.

-Seven-year stints have been

-a feature of my career so far.

-I was a core actor for seven years

-with Cwmni Theatr Cymru.

-I was with Bara Caws

-for seven years.

-We sang as Hapnod

-for about seven years.

-Glanaethwy leased premises

-for a seven-year period...

-..before our present building

-was built.

-I worked there for seven years...

-..before moving on to Theatr

-Genedlaethol for seven years.

-It's a symbolic number.

-It's a symbolic number.

-

-It must be, yes.

-An external force perhaps!

-We'll go back

-to Cefin's days as a performer...

-..for our first clip.

-It's a clip from 1987,

-and what a showman!

-# To fly on the wings of a plane

-# And fly with the birds up on high

-# It feels, oh, so good,

-in the sky, oh, so blue

-# As long as I fly

-# With you #

-Cha-cha-cha! What a finale.

-Oh, dear, I hadn't realized

-this would be such a cruel show.

-Do you like performing?

-Well, yes,

-and at that time, I was a performer.

-My first job

-was as an actor with Theatr Cymru.

-I felt drawn towards

-the world of light entertainment.

-Actors have to be adaptable,

-to an extent, and be open to offers.

-I wrote scripts

-and devised choreography.

-I'd had dancing lessons

-as a young lad.

-I made the most

-of the childhood experiences.

-Mam took me to have singing,

-guitar and piano lessons.

-I went to eisteddfodau,

-concerts and dancing classes.

-But I'd hide my dancing shoes

-in case the boys saw them.

-Could you show off

-your talents locally?

-Oh, certainly, Llanllyfni

-was a hive of activity at the time.

-I was very fortunate

-in primary school.

-The headmaster, Glyn Owen,

-led a cerdd dant group.

-We'd also go to the local hall

-to perform the Nativity.

-The local eisteddfod was also

-held at Llanllyfni Memorial Hall.

-The carnival was important too,

-and all kinds of community events.

-Since you've mentioned it, let's look

-back at the Nantlle Vale carnival.

-It's great seeing that.

-It brings back so many memories.

-It was a community event,

-with a lot of nonsense!

-It wasn't to be taken too seriously.

-There were sports -

-an egg and spoon race and so on.

-It all made the carnival such fun.

-It wasn't quite as serious

-as the eisteddfod.

-But people went to a lot of trouble

-decking out those lorries.

-I'd also decorate my bike

-for the annual competition.

-I'd spend night after night on it

-only to get third prize!

-It's the taking part that counts.

-Are you competitive by nature?

-Are you competitive by nature?

-

-Competitive? No, I'm not really.

-I guess that people

-out there probably think I am!

-The element of the performer

-in me...

-..outshines my competitive instinct.

-I tell my pupils

-to be ready for disappointment.

-They aren't always going to win...

-..but they shouldn't enter a contest

-unless they want to win.

-I've sometimes seen disappointment

-turn to bitterness.

-Once that happens...

-It's easy to tell the difference.

-Ohhh... That was disappointment.

-Bitterness is more... Ooooh.

-Bitterness is more... Ooooh.

-

-There's something behind the eyes.

-That's a subtle difference.

-We've all been aware of it.

-We're experts at competing in Wales.

-Everyone sings in a choir.

-Here's another fact

-I try to tell people.

-Anyone who chooses to perform,

-chooses a lifetime of competition.

-There are auditions for any part.

-One person gets it, and dozens,

-if not hundreds, will be rejected.

-They have to get used

-to that disappointment.

-One trains oneself

-to accept disappointment.

-Failure makes one carry on

-or give up.

-If the disappointment

-becomes bitterness, give up.

-Some try their best

-to bounce back again.

-"I pick myself up

-and get back in the race."

-Then, you're a performer.

-Then, you're a performer.

-

-You learn a lot about yourself.

-You learned a lot in your youth

-as a performer at Urdd eisteddfodau.

-Well, since I was very young...

-..Mam would take me

-to the eisteddfod in Llanllyfni.

-I'd sing a song,

-though we had no piano at home.

-Mam would coach my brother and me -

-"One, two, three, four, five, six."

-# I am Santa Claus #

-My brother once had stage fright

-and he told me to go first.

-I sang, then my brother went on.

-I saw him count - "One, two,

-three, four, five, six"...

-..but he never came in!

-He knew he'd never be a singer.

-He didn't carry on, but I did,

-while he became a CDT teacher.

-He taught me at Bro Myrddin.

-He gave me an A.

-He gave me an A.

-

-What an excellent teacher!

-We have a clip now

-of Cefin competing.

-The clip also shows a young girl...

-..who was to become

-a key part of his life.

-We go back 35 years, to Llanelli.

-# Shine, shine, summer sunshine

-# Shine, shine, shine,

-summer sunshine #

-In the pavilion,

-the rehearsals are over.

-This is the height of the battle.

-The nation's best go head to head.

-# In the whispers

-of the fountain of faith

-# In Lleyn where the rocks are still

-# In the sounds of songs

-from yesteryear

-# Tales blown on the breeze

-# To the land of the heights,

-take a stroll

-# It grows late, come to listen #

-APPLAUSE

-# Mother of Jesus,

-most beautiful virgin of all

-# Queen of the earth

-until time doth end

-# Lily of the valley,

-true rose of heaven

-# Pray for the soul

-of my dearest friend #

-Do you remember that?

-Do you remember that?

-

-Yes, some of it.

-Did you meet your wife, Rhian,

-at an eisteddfod?

-Yes, we competed in solo

-competitions against one another.

-Rhian sang with her sister, Marian.

-My duets were sung with Karen.

-But then, Rhian and I

-started singing duets together.

-Oh, really?

-That's how your partnership started.

-We'll take Cefin

-to a very famous Welsh village next.

-It's Ffalabalam.

-# Ffalabalam-ba-doodle-am-ba-day #

-# Gee, little horsey,

-clippity-clop

-# Gee, little horsey

-trot, trot, trot

-# Up to the hilltops,

-down to the vale

-# Onwards and onwards,

-watch us sail

-# Ride little horsey

-# Ride little horsey

-# Ride on the wings of the wind

-# Oh!

-# Gee, little horsey

-clippity-clop

-# Gee, little horsey

-trot, trot, trot

-# Up to the hilltops,

-down to the vale

-# Onwards and onwards,

-watch us sail #

-That little boy

-wasn't very impressed with me!

-But what horsemanship, Cefin.

-I'm frightened,

-scared stiff of horses.

-That was quite a tame creature.

-Ffalabalam became

-a kind of cult programme, didn't it?

-Yes, all presenters fought

-to take part in Ffalabalam.

-It was a great contract

-and I did the show for years.

-And then finally of course...

-..you get a bit too old for it all.

-I recall doing Ffalabalam here,

-wearing yellow dungarees.

-Dad had asked me to collect a Velux

-window for our house in Bangor.

-He'd placed the order for me.

-I had to go to the builders' yard

-in Cardiff to get the window.

-I sensed all these builders there

-giving me really funny looks.

-I'd gone from the studio

-in yellow dungarees and make-up!

-Hello!

-They didn't think

-I'd be the one fitting it.

-Really? I wonder why.

-You've mentioned

-your banana-coloured suit.

-But you do love clothes, don't you?

-I'm interested in fashion

-and in clothes through the ages.

-As a man of the theatre, I have

-take an interest in costumes.

-I'd have really loved to live

-during the Jacobean period.

-It's the only time when men dressed

-more colourfully than women.

-My brother took more

-of an interest than I did.

-He'd get catalogues

-from Carnaby Street in the 1960s.

-He'd wear maxis,

-those long overcoats

-It sparked my interest

-and in theatrical terms...

-..I'd try to upstage him.

-I succeeded, eventually.

-That's it for now.

-Join us again in Part Two.

-# Remember #

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-# Remember #

-Welcome back. Cefin Roberts joins me

-as we bring his past back to life.

-Let's turn to your acting roles.

-Coming up is a clip from

-the powerful drama Dim Ond Heddiw.

-You play one of the main characters.

-Tell us the background.

-It was my television debut for HTV.

-I started out playing the role

-of an innocent student...

-..but as the series progressed,

-the influences of college life...

-..started to corrupt his mind.

-It was the first drugs storyline

-in the Welsh language.

-It was quite a challenging role.

-It dealt with drugs...

-..and the relationships between

-students and their lecturers.

-At that time,

-during the early 1970s...

-..to deal with those themes, in the

-Welsh language, was revolutionary.

-Here's a clip.

-Oops!

-Clumsy.

-Are you naturally clumsy?

-Instinctively clumsy?

-Everybody's clumsy at times.

-Everybody's clumsy at times.

-

-No, not everybody.

-The majority of people,

-but not everybody.

-You're not a clumsy type.

-Not a morning goes by

-without me smashing a cup.

-I wasn't talking about the morning.

-I usually sleep like a baby

-in the mornings...

-..if I've got nothing to do.

-An alarm?

-An alarm?

-

-A clock?

-You've got the right idea.

-Hello?

-I'm home, darling...

-..with the best bottle of wine

-you'll ever taste.

-Tonight's a good night.

-Tonight will be a good night.

-Ooh!

-Well, well, well!

-Doesn't Christine Pritchard have

-the most beautiful eyes?

-I remember them during filming.

-She's still as stunning today.

-Yes, they seem to draw you in.

-What was the public's reaction

-to the series?

-It was a very popular series,

-as it happened.

-It was well received

-by young people.

-It attracted new viewers,

-some of whom were narrow-minded.

-I remember being shocked

-at the time...

-..because the public

-took these storylines so seriously.

-I was touring with

-a stage performance of Esther...

-..while the series

-was being televised.

-I was in Porthmadog, sharing a car

-with John Ogwen and Maureen Rees...

-..and I'd stopped

-to buy a Mars bar...

-..but the woman in the shop

-wouldn't sell me one.

-I said, "Why not?"

-She said, "You're the man having

-an affair with John Ogwen's wife."

-I said, "John Ogwen and his wife

-are sitting outside in the car.

-"I'm not having an affair

-with his wife."

-Christine Pritchard and I were

-having an affair in the series...

-..and the woman in the shop

-thought it was real.

-You were also behind one of S4C's

-most ground-breaking programmes.

-Hapnod combined performing,

-singing, acting and satirical comedy.

-It all started

-with Hywel Gwynfryn's show.

-We performed one song a week,

-our own composition.

-It was quite disciplined.

-We'd choose a news item each week

-and write a song about it.

-But later, Ruth Price, Head of

-Light Entertainment at the BBC...

-..thought the potential was there

-for a series.

-And it ran for seven years.

-Again, they were very interesting

-times back then.

-And very happy times.

-Here's a reminder of Hapnod.

-CIRCUS MUSIC

-# Comedy and tragedy

-# Are closely linked, so they say

-# And discord and harmony

-# Make for a great symphony

-# But this only goes to show

-# That sense is sometimes nonsense

-# And some things are tuneless

-# For some, the truth is subtle

-# H and A and P and N

-# Then O and finally D

-# Bring it all under one roof

-# Doh-ray-me-fah-soh-lah-te

-# Doh-doh-doh-doh #

-Aah!

-How did the group dynamics work?

-Who was the boss?

-I'm sure the other three

-would say I was the boss...

-..but not all of the time.

-I was the one

-who came up with the idea.

-I'd met Ann, daughter of

-the late Wilbert Lloyd Roberts...

-..through working with her

-in Aberystwyth.

-We both liked The Swingles

-and The King's Singers.

-Close harmonies.

-We wanted to do something similar.

-I then worked on a pantomime

-with Gwyn Vaughan...

-..and realized

-what a fantastic tenor he was.

-He had the voice

-of the quality needed.

-But we still needed a soprano.

-Rhian was at home

-with two children...

-..singing to Mirain

-in the front room...

-..and we thought,

-she's our soprano!

-The group grew organically

-like that...

-..and we started to create

-our sound.

-But despite being very musical, you

-don't consider yourself a musician.

-No, I don't, it's the performer's

-instinct in me...

-..that brings out

-the musical element.

-Don't get me wrong,

-I've studied music.

-I have an A Level in music

-and studied at Trinity College...

-..but I've always felt on

-the periphery of music, as it were.

-The scientific

-and mathematical elements...

-..such as the rights and wrongs

-of tone and tempo...

-..didn't always appeal to me.

-The performing aspect led me

-in a more theatrical direction...

-..where I was able to combine

-theatre and music.

-Ysgol Glanaethwy is celebrating

-its 20th anniversary.

-Yes, it'll be our 21st next year.

-How did the idea of establishing

-Glanaethwy come about?

-As a child,

-I'd always had this desire...

-..to become some kind of teacher.

-I never liked winter team games,

-such as football and rugby.

-I was more into tennis

-and athletics.

-I'd get bored when the local boys

-would play football...

-..or when I didn't have

-a singing lesson to attend.

-I remember seeing the Girl Guides

-at the church hall singing...

-..# We are the red men,

-tall and quaint

-# In our feathers and war paint

-# Pow-wow

-# We are the men

-of the old Dun cow #

-I thought, why is it

-that only girls get to do this?

-It was a time when society

-segregated girls and boys...

-..much more obviously.

-I thought, some day...

-..I'll create something

-in which everyone can take part.

-Later, I talked it over with Rhian.

-At the time, she was teaching...

-..and I felt I was doing too much

-presenting and not enough acting.

-So Rhian suggested

-that we both work...

-..on the idea

-that I'd always had in mind.

-And that's how it began.

-It's been a phenomenal success...

-..and Last Choir Standing

-is testament to that.

-Before we discuss the programme,

-here's a clip of All That Jazz.

-# For all

-# That

-# Jazz, jazz, jazz, jazz,

-and all that jazz

-# Find a flask,

-we're playing fast and loose

-# And all that jazz

-# And all that jazz

-# Right up here

-is where I store the juice

-# And all that jazz

-# And all that jazz

-# Come on, babe,

-we're gonna brush the sky

-# I bet you lucky Lindy

-never flew so high

-# Cos in the stratosphere,

-how could he lend an ear

-# To all that

-# Jazz?

-# No, I'm no-one's wife

-# But, oh, I love my life

-# I love my life, I love my life

-and all that jazz

-# I love my life, I love my life

-and all that jazz

-# And all that jazz,

-and all that jazz, and all that jazz

-# And all

-# That jazz #

-That was a very happy time.

-You'd go back to the hotel

-on the Saturday night...

-..pick two new songs

-to learn on the Monday...

-..as well as two songs

-to sing with the group.

-Practise them on the Tuesday, learn

-the choreography on Wednesday...

-..polish them by Thursday,

-back to London on Friday...

-..and perform them live

-on the Saturday.

-Did they control you at all?

-Did they control you at all?

-

-Yes, they did.

-They'd tell you to answer

-in a certain way.

-They'd suggest, "I'd be devastated

-if we went out of the competition."

-I'd think, no, there are some

-things I can't say on camera.

-We all know they ask you to say

-certain things on reality TV.

-But you don't have to agree to it.

-I teach the children

-not to be devastated.

-I didn't want them to see me say

-I'd be devastated...

-..because we had so much fun.

-If we were leaving the show,

-we wanted to go out smiling.

-We wanted to show

-how much we'd enjoyed the series.

-Best of luck,

-and good luck with your writing.

-Is that the challenge ahead

-for you now?

-For the next seven years, yes.

-See you in seven years, then!

-It's been a real pleasure.

-That's all from us.

-Until next time, goodnight.

-# Remember

-# Remember #

-S4C Subtitles by Simian 04 Cyf.

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