0:00:00 > 0:00:00- Subtitles
0:00:00 > 0:00:02- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:00:02 > 0:00:05- Death is the final act for us all.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08- But for some, - death is a way of life.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12- A means of upholding a tradition, - supporting a family...
0:00:13 > 0:00:14- ..and forging a business.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19- Dealing with - and handling uncomfortable issues...
0:00:19 > 0:00:22- ..with sympathy and a smile.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25- Helping us - depart this world with dignity.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29- Let us escort you - to the world beyond the curtain...
0:00:29 > 0:00:31- ..and the closed door.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34- The world of the living - among the dead.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38- The world of Traed Lan.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02- Dorian Harries is an embalmer.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05- He works in the undertakers' - back room.
0:01:06 > 0:01:12- "By the middle of next month, - I'll have cared for 27,000 bodies."
0:01:13 > 0:01:16- Dorian is up - before the break of dawn.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19- Nine bodies - are waiting for him today.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22- I'll just place this gown on her.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26- Dor Bach!
0:01:28 > 0:01:31- The first one's done - and it's 7.45am.
0:01:31 > 0:01:36- I'm off to Pont Abraham - before heading on to Kilgetty.
0:01:36 > 0:01:43- It's the fourth of February and I've - dealt with 191 bodies this year.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46- It's been extremely busy.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49- Can I have a large latte coffee, - please?
0:01:49 > 0:01:51- Good man. Thank you very much.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56- Leaving Carmarthenshire, - he heads for South Pembrokeshire.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59- Come on, Dorian.
0:01:59 > 0:02:04- Barring complications, embalming - a body should take 45 minutes.
0:02:06 > 0:02:07- All done.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13- Preserving the body - is becoming more customary...
0:02:13 > 0:02:17- ..with more time - between the death and the funeral.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19- The funeral will be held in a week.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22- The death occurred a week ago.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25- The documents hadn't been processed.
0:02:26 > 0:02:31- There's a fortnight - between the death and the funeral.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33- That's a long time.
0:02:33 > 0:02:39- By March, I'll have cared - for 27,000 bodies during my career.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42- A lot of bodies, - and I've seen a lot too.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45- I've seen a lot.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48- I've seen horrific things.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51- A gun to the head or a car accident.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53- It does affect you.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56- It does.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59- You think things over - again and again.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03- There we go, there we go.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12- This is Matthew Jones to you or I, - but Matthew Marw to his friends.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14- He owns a fleet of hearses.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18- Matthew's just forked out - on three new vehicles.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21- He's spending again today...
0:03:22 > 0:03:26- ..on the services of the tyres man - around the corner, Delme Jones.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30- Since the car has been stretched...
0:03:31 > 0:03:34- ..you have more wear - on the back wheels.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37- It's a different suspension.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41- Unfortunately for Matthew, - but fortunately for me...
0:03:41 > 0:03:43- ..I can sell him more tyres!
0:03:43 > 0:03:47- When I come in here, only that much - of the tyre is worn...
0:03:48 > 0:03:50- ..but it still has to be replaced.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52- Hey, they call me Honest Del!
0:03:52 > 0:03:53- Del Boy!
0:03:54 > 0:03:56- The tyres must be perfect.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00- The other boys drive the vehicles - so safety is paramount.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04- You need to change - the back two tyres.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06- You're spending today again.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09- Can you leave it with me - for an hour or two?
0:04:09 > 0:04:10- Courtesy car?
0:04:10 > 0:04:12- Courtesy car?- - Do you want a van?
0:04:12 > 0:04:13- I'll walk!
0:04:14 > 0:04:21- "The vehicle insurance - costs around 3,000 a year."
0:04:22 > 0:04:25- Since one of the new hearses - has some damage on it...
0:04:26 > 0:04:30- ..Matthew thinks the drivers must - get used to their length and width.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33- The boys haven't driven these cars.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36- They're longer - than the hearses we have.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39- Who knows what we'll confront.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41- Roads leading to cemeteries - can be narrow.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46- We're having a team building event - for the boys using these cones.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48- Anyone who fails is out!
0:04:49 > 0:04:51- We've asked them - to reverse back into the bay...
0:04:52 > 0:04:54- ..without touching the cones.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56- More importantly, - the cones at the back.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00- The first driver is Ernest Jones...
0:05:00 > 0:05:04- ..the man who sold Matthew - the business five years ago.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08- Ten out of ten there. - He's kept his job so far.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12- The first round posed no problems. - Right, Ernest.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17- The old pro is still an old pro.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20- Fair play, a faultless display.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23- These vehicles cost 90,000 each.
0:05:23 > 0:05:28- The insurance costs a lot. The total - for all the vehicles is 3,000.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31- The premium rises - if we have a knock.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36- Another one still in a job!
0:05:37 > 0:05:41- They look after the vehicles - as if they were their own.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44- We have the odd scratch - from umbrellas...
0:05:44 > 0:05:46- ..or women and their handbags.
0:05:47 > 0:05:48- They're a nuisance.
0:05:48 > 0:05:53- Soon, all the drivers - have passed their tests...
0:05:53 > 0:05:55- ..and they share a joke or two.
0:05:55 > 0:05:56- Dear me!
0:05:57 > 0:06:00- But there's one more driver to test.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03- I'll have a shot - to show them how to do it.
0:06:03 > 0:06:08- Payback time for Ernest - and the happy, respectable drivers.
0:06:09 > 0:06:10- He'll never do it.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13- What am I supposed to - park in here - a Mini?
0:06:14 > 0:06:16- There he goes!
0:06:23 > 0:06:24- Ernest - passed.
0:06:25 > 0:06:26- Brian - passed.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28- Byron... hmmm.
0:06:28 > 0:06:33- Your jobs are safe. - I might even make you a cup of tea!
0:06:34 > 0:06:38- In Lampeter, - Gwilym, Cerdin and Rhys Price...
0:06:38 > 0:06:41- ..are three generations - of undertakers.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49- After visiting - the National Funeral Exhibition...
0:06:49 > 0:06:53- ..the digital post-mortem technology - impressed Cerdin.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58- He's on his way to Sheffield - to learn more about it.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02- With a conventional post-mortem...
0:07:03 > 0:07:07- ..there's a lot of physical work - to open up the body.
0:07:07 > 0:07:13- With this system, - the body goes into the scanner...
0:07:13 > 0:07:18- ..and you can determine - the cause of death from the scan.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23- That makes it easier for us - as undertakers, a lot easier...
0:07:23 > 0:07:27- ..than dealing with a body - after a conventional post-mortem.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30- This is the only one in Britain.
0:07:30 > 0:07:35- There's talk about bringing one - to Cardiff and one to Swansea.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38- That will reduce the costs, - hopefully.
0:07:39 > 0:07:44- Things are developing - in the modern age. Onwards we go!
0:07:45 > 0:07:46- Hello, Professor.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49- To the Sheffield ear, - Cerdin is Kevin.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52- That doesn't bother him at all.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55- He's here to see the new scanner - in action.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57- Come in, Kevin.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01- What we've got here, Kevin...
0:08:01 > 0:08:04- It's no different - to a conventional scanner.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07- The differences are in the computer.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11- The new software creates - a 3-D profile of the body.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14- You can see both the lungs, - the heart.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18- Any damage, - you could pinpoint it straightaway.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20- It's been a real eye-opener.
0:08:21 > 0:08:26- They can come to a decision - very quickly.
0:08:27 > 0:08:33- In England and Wales, one body in - every five requires a post-mortem.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37- The new scanner costs 3m...
0:08:37 > 0:08:40- ..but it will discover - within minutes...
0:08:40 > 0:08:46- ..what a conventional autopsy - discovers after two to four hours.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49- The disadvantage - is the travelling...
0:08:50 > 0:08:52- ..but they will be closer - before the end of the year.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57- They move the ribs at the same time, - seeing more detail.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59- Things are changing.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04- The method of the post-mortem - hasn't changed for 50 years.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07- Things are developing - in the modern age. Onwards we go.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18- Embalmer Dorian - is continuing with his long day.
0:09:19 > 0:09:24- In Pontyberem, he'll need more - than 45 minutes for this body.
0:09:24 > 0:09:29- There's a cardiac defibrillator - - I told you over the phone.
0:09:29 > 0:09:35- Has the hospital deactivated it? - They have. Is it a cremation?
0:09:35 > 0:09:36- Yes. We'll have to get it out.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38- Yes. We'll have to get it out.- - Leave it with me.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43- Before removing any device - from the body...
0:09:44 > 0:09:46- ..the first job is embalming.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48- ..the first job is embalming.- - I've finished the embalming.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52- The next job is removing - the cardiac defibrillator.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56- Left of the heart, - up under the shoulder.
0:09:56 > 0:10:01- It's just like a pacemaker - but it releases more volts.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04- It produces around 900 volts.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07- Due to patient confidentiality...
0:10:07 > 0:10:12- ..I wouldn't have known - had Hefin not told me.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15- Sometimes the undertakers - don't know...
0:10:16 > 0:10:20- ..until I've read through - the crematorium's medical forms.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24- I'll confirm it's been removed - on the form before cremation.
0:10:25 > 0:10:30- The danger is that the battery - is so strong, it can kill a man.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33- I need to take great care - when I remove it.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41- I can feel the defibrillator - under the skin.
0:10:41 > 0:10:46- I'll make a mark above it, - about two and a half inches long.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49- These are aneurysm hooks.
0:10:49 > 0:10:54- These separate the skin to allow me - to remove the defibrillator.
0:10:54 > 0:11:00- It depends how long the - defibrillator has been in the body.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05- If it's been in a while, the flesh - and tendons will surround it.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09- It'll be harder to remove. This - looks like it's been in a while.
0:11:09 > 0:11:14- I've made a little pocket. I'm - sticking my hand into the cavity.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19- Two fingers in the pocket. - The body's cold.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22- Here it is. It's coming out.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24- Easy does it.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29- I'm cutting the cable.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35- It's out now.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38- These will be returned - to the cardiac unit.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42- Here's a pacemaker - - it's a lot smaller.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47- That's worth around 5,000 - - this is worth around 20,000.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49- These keep you alive.
0:11:49 > 0:11:49- .
0:11:53 > 0:11:53- Subtitles
0:11:53 > 0:11:55- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:12:02 > 0:12:08- Gareth Jenkins is a leading funeral - director in the Port Talbot area.
0:12:08 > 0:12:13- Today, the Cwmafan native - is flying to Eastern Europe.
0:12:13 > 0:12:19- I met a man from the Czech Republic - at the National Funeral Exhibition.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22- They're famous for their crystals.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27- They embed the ashes in - a swirl pattern within the crystal.
0:12:27 > 0:12:33- They've invited me to the factory - in the Czech Republic to view them.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37- The white strands are the ashes.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40- They're encased in gold.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43- 24-carat gold dust.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45- It's important for me to oversee...
0:12:46 > 0:12:52- ..that the correct person's - ashes are embedded in the crystal.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55- It's one of the questions - bereaved families always ask.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00- By going to the factory, - I can tell them, hand on heart...
0:13:00 > 0:13:03- ..that the correct ashes - have been used.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06- This is the man who died.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09- I knew him - and I know the family too.
0:13:09 > 0:13:14- They want a crystal heart made...
0:13:14 > 0:13:17- ..along with a ring, - and as you can see...
0:13:17 > 0:13:20- ..he was a big Arsenal soccer fan.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25- We're going to try and have - a crystal football made...
0:13:25 > 0:13:28- ..encased with the deceased's ashes.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32- I'll keep it in the bubble wrap. - There we go, Wayne.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34- We're going on a little trip.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39- But before leaving, - his biggest problem...
0:13:40 > 0:13:43- ..is deciding - what to wear out there.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47- I don't know if I'm going to be - attending a funeral in Prague.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50- It might be cold, - then again, it might not.
0:13:50 > 0:13:56- I don't know whether to go as Dr - Zhivago with my fur-lined brogues.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00- What do you think - of my travelling top hat?
0:14:01 > 0:14:05- If they use a horse and carriage out - there, I'll have to take my coat.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08- This is Czechoslovakian crystal too.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10- I think I'm ready to go.
0:14:27 > 0:14:35- "I'm a man of the earth. Man of the - soil. It'll be my resting place."
0:14:40 > 0:14:43- In the Prices' cellar in Lampeter...
0:14:43 > 0:14:47- ..a more traditional end is in sight - for the boxes of ashes...
0:14:48 > 0:14:51- ..awaiting - their final resting place.
0:14:51 > 0:14:56- There's sure to be - close to 80 or 90 boxes here.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01- They might want to keep them here - until the partner dies.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06- Some of the boxes have been kept - since the 1960s and 1970s.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13- Someone will one day - come and collect them.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15- Death - is difficult to come to terms with.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20- Trying to decide what to do - with the ashes at that time...
0:15:20 > 0:15:22- ..is unwise.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30- They even put ashes - in egg timers these days.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34- But the majority - want the ashes buried or scattered.
0:15:34 > 0:15:39- If someone were cremated, I'd choose - to bury the ashes somewhere.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44- If people - want to scatter the ashes...
0:15:45 > 0:15:48- ..if you press - this perforated area here...
0:15:48 > 0:15:50- ..the ashes can be scattered.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53- There's a star and moon motif.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56- The horizon is very effective...
0:15:57 > 0:15:59- ..with the sun rising above the sea.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03- There are also floral tubes - with red poppies and so on.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07- We offer people - a wide range to choose from.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11- It's a personal choice. - I want to be buried.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14- I'm a man of the earth, - a man of the soil.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18- As a native of the country, - I want to be buried in the ground.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23- It's rare - that the ashes of a country boy...
0:16:23 > 0:16:27- ..would come into contact - with a tattoo parlour.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31- But this is the case - for Helen Phillips's late brother.
0:16:31 > 0:16:36- The ashes are very finely ground...
0:16:36 > 0:16:40- ..before being mixed with - regular tattoo ink.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45- A rising number of people are opting - to remember loved ones in this way.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48- Plenty have it done. - It gives them closure.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54- They are the ashes of her brother, - but the tattoo is also a reminder...
0:16:55 > 0:16:57- ..of her father - and his Welsh roots...
0:16:58 > 0:17:00- ..symbolized in the daffodil.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05- Helen had been a little anxious - beforehand, but now...
0:17:05 > 0:17:07- It's very relaxing.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13- That's it. It's done.
0:17:20 > 0:17:25- "I've already been - in four counties today."
0:17:27 > 0:17:29- Where shall I stop for food?
0:17:29 > 0:17:31- Where shall I stop for food?- - In West Wales...
0:17:32 > 0:17:36- ..having already embalmed five - bodies, he has another four to go.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40- I'm up against it today. - I've three to do here.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43- That's two and a half hours' work.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47- Then I have to pack everything - away and drive to Port Talbot.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50- There's no McDonald's in Cardigan - to grab a coffee.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58- I've been - in four counties already today.
0:17:58 > 0:18:03- Swansea, Cardiganshire, - Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06- I'm heading back to Swansea again.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08- Take that in, Sam.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11- I've inserted a drip...
0:18:11 > 0:18:14- ..which is running through the body.
0:18:15 > 0:18:20- I've added traceable dye to check - that it's gone through the arteries.
0:18:20 > 0:18:25- The body's being kept at the family - home for a week, so I must ensure...
0:18:25 > 0:18:29- ..that every part of his body - has received embalming fluid...
0:18:30 > 0:18:34- ..because if it hasn't, it could - cause that body part to leak.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39- It would result in wet clothes, - a wet coffin and a pungent odour.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41- I don't want that to happen.
0:18:41 > 0:18:47- He has finished embalming - his ninth body of the day.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52- Job done. I'm out of here.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55- He sets his sights on home.
0:18:55 > 0:19:00- I'll get in, have a shower - to get rid of the day's grime...
0:19:00 > 0:19:03- ..and enjoy - spending time with the children.
0:19:09 > 0:19:14- Prague, the Czech Republic's capital - city, home to 10 million citizens.
0:19:14 > 0:19:20- Gareth Jenkins is taken on a tour of - the city's largest funeral parlour.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22- Here is our customer office.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27- His eye - is drawn to all things unusual.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29- This is a bit different.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32- There are curtains in the back.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35- In Prague, - the state is wholly responsible...
0:19:36 > 0:19:39- ..for the funeral process, - including the coffins.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41- Most of them are made from wood.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45- I think - this has made been made from alloy.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49- You can't use this for a cremation.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52- This is where they make the coffins.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56- They have to insert the alloy - if the coffin is carried by air.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58- That's international law.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01- This has to be welded.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04- After that's been done...
0:20:04 > 0:20:08- ..to ensure the correct body - has been placed inside...
0:20:08 > 0:20:10- ..they've inserted a widow.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14- That's not to see out, - it's to look in!
0:20:16 > 0:20:21- Next, Gareth visits one of - the two enormous crematoriums...
0:20:21 > 0:20:23- ..which service the entire city.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28- Since a small minority of Czechs - are non-religious...
0:20:29 > 0:20:32- ..services are held in halls - rather than chapels.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37- Preparations for a family funeral - are underway in this hall.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42- But it's large funerals, - including those of state leaders...
0:20:42 > 0:20:45- ..that take place in this hall.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48- This is - the biggest ceremony hall in Europe.
0:20:48 > 0:20:53- It's in here - that they hold the funerals...
0:20:53 > 0:20:56- ..of heads of state - and prime ministers.
0:20:56 > 0:21:01- You can see the Russian influence...
0:21:02 > 0:21:04- ..in this building.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06- It's totally different - from our system.
0:21:07 > 0:21:12- Funeral directors here - don't even come to the crematorium.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15- They have nothing to do on the day.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18- It's up to the family - where they go...
0:21:18 > 0:21:22- ..and it's also up to them - to stand up and say a few words.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29- The acoustics - are phenomenal in here.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31- They're wonderful.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44- They put the coffin in here...
0:21:45 > 0:21:47- ..before they enter the hall.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51- The family stands behind the glass - and looks in.
0:21:51 > 0:21:56- They open the coffin. - Nobody comes into this room here.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00- They all have to be in there, - for some reason.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05- Here is the lift - from the big ceremony.
0:22:07 > 0:22:12- Judging from the heat coming for the - doors, we're close to the cremators.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15- Family members can stand here...
0:22:15 > 0:22:19- ..and watch the coffin - going into the furnace.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21- The family stands here...
0:22:22 > 0:22:24- ..and watches the coffin enter.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28- Family members - can also go inside the room...
0:22:29 > 0:22:33- ..peer through the small window - and watch the coffin being burnt.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40- It's completely different.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48- Different, but we all - become ashes to ashes in the end.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01- Next time, - why does a carer for the living...
0:23:01 > 0:23:03- ..want to become - a carer for the dead?
0:23:04 > 0:23:07- I can do it. - I don't think it's morbid at all.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11- In what kind funeral - do saints go marching in?
0:23:12 > 0:23:15- And in Prague, - what kind of creation...
0:23:15 > 0:23:17- ..is Gareth crystallizing?
0:23:18 > 0:23:19- Really nice.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38- S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.
0:23:38 > 0:23:38- .