0:00:08 > 0:00:11Striking modern art, boundary-pushing theatre
0:00:11 > 0:00:14and not forgetting an Olympic Games.
0:00:14 > 0:00:15Quite a year.
0:00:15 > 0:00:21Welcome to the BBC Wales Arts and Entertainments Review 2012.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24Coming up, the outstanding contribution that the Cultural Olympiad made
0:00:24 > 0:00:26to the arts scene in Wales this year...
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Alongside the success of our athletes,
0:00:29 > 0:00:31I think it was one of the really defining successes
0:00:31 > 0:00:33of the Olympics this summer.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37I will never be one of those women, Denis,
0:00:37 > 0:00:40who stays silent and pretty on the arm of her husband.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43..we hear from Alexandra Roach about playing the young Iron Lady.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46Sharing a character with Meryl Streep...
0:00:46 > 0:00:49I mean, one of the most amazing actresses of our generation.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52COMMENTATOR: 'Roberts has a clear run to the line.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54'It's Roberts with the opening try.'
0:00:54 > 0:00:56..and revisit the glory of the Grand Slam,
0:00:56 > 0:01:00through the eyes of the Welsh Rugby Union's writer-in-residence, Owen Sheers
0:01:00 > 0:01:03It's pure theatre. It's actually better than theatre,
0:01:03 > 0:01:05because the end of the script...
0:01:05 > 0:01:06still isn't written.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19It would have been hard not to spot that 2012 was a year
0:01:19 > 0:01:23when the biggest show on Earth came to host city London
0:01:23 > 0:01:25and gripped the hearts of a whole nation.
0:01:25 > 0:01:31The Olympics and Paralympics wowed us with a summer of sporting greatness.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33But when the UK was awarded the games,
0:01:33 > 0:01:38there was a commitment to cultural events, as well as sporting,
0:01:38 > 0:01:40for the whole country.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43And so, from aeroplane fuselage-cum-art space
0:01:43 > 0:01:46to fiery cauldrons and furnaces,
0:01:46 > 0:01:50the promises of London 2012 became real,
0:01:50 > 0:01:52as Wales welcomed the Cultural Olympiad.
0:01:52 > 0:01:57The Cultural Olympiad was a UK-wide celebration
0:01:57 > 0:02:00and Wales had a distinctive role to play.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04It was distinctive in its Welshness, but yet,
0:02:04 > 0:02:06it made a huge contribution to the whole.
0:02:06 > 0:02:14London 2012 wove the idea of culture and education, alongside sport,
0:02:14 > 0:02:16into this huge Olympiad, if you like.
0:02:19 > 0:02:24One of the biggest projects as part of the celebrations was Adain Avion.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26Artists Mark Rees and Sian Thomas
0:02:26 > 0:02:31transformed an aeroplane fuselage into a gigantic mobile art space
0:02:31 > 0:02:34that would house community art projects of all kinds.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36Wouldn't it be fantastic to have a kind of porous,
0:02:36 > 0:02:38portable piece of public art?
0:02:38 > 0:02:40It's acting as a kind of magnet,
0:02:40 > 0:02:42drawing people in and wanting to be part of it,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45or seeing it or watching the events unfold.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48It was decided that Adain Avion would be taken to Swansea,
0:02:48 > 0:02:53Ebbw Vale, Llandudno and, finally, to the Eisteddfod Maes in Llandow.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Along the way, the projects varied greatly,
0:02:55 > 0:02:59and each town brought its own unique interpretations into the space,
0:02:59 > 0:03:03from covering the fuselage in Melin Tregwynt fabric,
0:03:03 > 0:03:06to video installations, dance performances,
0:03:06 > 0:03:08and some more modern art exhibits.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12This really was art for the people in their own communities.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16We had a target of 30,000 visitors, and we got 48, which was like...
0:03:16 > 0:03:19And even when I say it now, I'm like, "48,000?!"
0:03:19 > 0:03:22The community was the heart and soul of Adain Avion.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25I think, without that, it wouldn't have moved, it wouldn't be mobile,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28and it wouldn't have been pulled into town, literally.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30It was an ambitious project,
0:03:30 > 0:03:32though, you know, by God, did we deliver.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36I think the sport was amazing. We all, as a nation, celebrated that.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39But I think the art has also been extraordinary.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:03:45 > 0:03:50Adain Avion was only one of a plethora of different cultural events.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53And in Denbigh, children worked in conjunction with Cadw
0:03:53 > 0:03:57to unearth the story of Denbighshire's famous gold cape.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01Mantell, or Cape, used the ancient artefact,
0:04:01 > 0:04:03now housed at the British Museum,
0:04:03 > 0:04:07as the inspiration for a fantastic visual performance.
0:04:07 > 0:04:14Central to Mantell was the gold cape that was discovered in Denbighshire,
0:04:14 > 0:04:19in the landscapes and the farmlands surrounding Denbigh Castle.
0:04:20 > 0:04:26We had the great conclusion, in that there was a huge replica of Mantell
0:04:26 > 0:04:31probably 1,000 times the size, which was lit up at the end,
0:04:31 > 0:04:33which was an extraordinary sight.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39The scale of the projects varied greatly.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42None, perhaps, bigger than National Theatre Wales's contribution
0:04:42 > 0:04:45to the London 2012 Festival.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48In conjunction with the Royal Shakespeare Company,
0:04:48 > 0:04:52in August, they commandeered a disused RAF hangar at St Athan,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55to unveil their new multimedia production
0:04:55 > 0:04:57of Shakespeare's Coriolanus.
0:05:00 > 0:05:06..the poor itch of your opinion,
0:05:06 > 0:05:08make yourselves scabs...
0:05:08 > 0:05:11We decided we wanted to do it at scale,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14because what it meant was that we could have an audience moving,
0:05:14 > 0:05:16and audience involved in the action,
0:05:16 > 0:05:21we could place the audience right at the heart of the action itself.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25The audience were free to wander wherever they liked,
0:05:25 > 0:05:27and to follow the action and to actually get involved,
0:05:27 > 0:05:30and you felt like you were within the experience.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33It was a truly immersive experience.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37If any think brave death outweighs bad life...
0:05:38 > 0:05:44..and that his country is dearer than himself,
0:05:44 > 0:05:48let him, alone, or so many so minded,
0:05:48 > 0:05:52wave thus to express his disposition...
0:05:52 > 0:05:55and follow Marcius.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Where it worked fantastically is that people felt they were the Romans,
0:05:59 > 0:06:01that they were the crowd, you know.
0:06:01 > 0:06:02And I think, certainly, by the end,
0:06:02 > 0:06:06their response was that they had been through something together.
0:06:06 > 0:06:07Oh, Marcius.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13- Marcius...- I think the technological aspects of the play...
0:06:13 > 0:06:16You know, the fact that there was a big screen
0:06:16 > 0:06:18up at the end of the hangar,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21which was playing the play back to us in real-time...
0:06:21 > 0:06:24You know, we were listening to the dialogue on headphones.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27Obviously, it was a huge space, all the actors were mic-ed up,
0:06:27 > 0:06:29and we experienced it through headphones.
0:06:29 > 0:06:34So, in one way, we were distanced from what was going on by technology,
0:06:34 > 0:06:38but in another way, we were brought closer to the action,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41because that's kind of what we're used to in the real world.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44So, in many ways, walking around the hangar with headphones on,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47watching screens, is kind of what people are used to, you know,
0:06:47 > 0:06:49in the contemporary world.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52A thousand welcomes.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56We had a great understanding of the rhythms of the text
0:06:56 > 0:06:58and the imagery within the text.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02We were well on top of that, and that just gave us the ability
0:07:02 > 0:07:06to use the microphones to the best extent.
0:07:06 > 0:07:07GUNSHOT
0:07:07 > 0:07:10HE BREATHES DEEPLY
0:07:18 > 0:07:21There was always this kind of feeling at the end of the play,
0:07:21 > 0:07:25"God, did they like it? Oh, my God, they're not doing anything."
0:07:25 > 0:07:28And, of course, until the machine then fully switches off
0:07:28 > 0:07:31and the lights come on, it was always just overwhelming.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34You know... It just reminds you why you do it, you know?
0:07:34 > 0:07:36Everybody was to be a bit of a rock star.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Alongside the success of our athletes,
0:07:43 > 0:07:47I think it was one of the really defining successes of the Olympics this summer,
0:07:47 > 0:07:49was what happened around the 2012 Festival.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52There was just this seamless sense that culture
0:07:52 > 0:07:54was part of our offer as a nation and, yeah,
0:07:54 > 0:07:58an absolute triumph this summer, and a privilege to be part of it.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01What I learnt was that there are hugely talented people,
0:08:01 > 0:08:03working at community level,
0:08:03 > 0:08:08working with young people, working with disabled people,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11all over Wales, that I'd only heard about and never met.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15It was the greatest privilege to work with them.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18And it's an experience that will stay with me for ever.
0:08:23 > 0:08:24When the Davies sisters of Llandinam
0:08:24 > 0:08:29bequeathed their 260 paintings to the National Museum of Wales,
0:08:29 > 0:08:32the took pride in the thought of them hanging majestically
0:08:32 > 0:08:36to be admired by generations of art lovers like them.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Well, among that collection were seven seascapes
0:08:39 > 0:08:41by the great J.M.W. Turner.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46Or, at least, they thought they were by Turner.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48But were they?
0:08:48 > 0:08:512012 would be the year when we found out.
0:08:53 > 0:08:54At one time in their history,
0:08:54 > 0:08:58each of the seven paintings had their authenticity questioned.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02Doubts were first raised by famous London art dealers Agnew's
0:09:02 > 0:09:05shortly after the bequest in 1955,
0:09:05 > 0:09:09and there followed an examination by the Tate Gallery.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12The results were not what the museum wanted to hear.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16Only two of the oil paintings were accepted as genuine.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20The other canvases were felt to be fakes, totally reworked,
0:09:20 > 0:09:23or paintings by other hands.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27Over the years, further experts have examined and commented on the paintings,
0:09:27 > 0:09:30and some of them have been reattributed to Turner.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32However, significant doubts remained,
0:09:32 > 0:09:37particularly over Margate Jetty and Off Margate.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39And to what extent, if any,
0:09:39 > 0:09:43had the Beacon Light been over-painted by a different hand?
0:09:43 > 0:09:46Beth McIntyre, one of the curators in the art department,
0:09:46 > 0:09:51had, for some time, felt that we should re-examine that question
0:09:51 > 0:09:53and come back to it.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56We decided to work with the Tate again
0:09:56 > 0:09:59and just have another reappraisal of the group.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05And with the help of the BBC's Fake or Fortune programme,
0:10:05 > 0:10:08the paintings were able to be reassessed.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12The first thing we do is look down a stereo microscope at them
0:10:12 > 0:10:15and we can already, at that level, start to look very minutely
0:10:15 > 0:10:17at things like brushstrokes.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19We can look at the layer structure,
0:10:19 > 0:10:22so we can work out how the image has been built up.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26For me, I felt that the way the paint was handled
0:10:26 > 0:10:30was very consistent with late Turners that I'd seen.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34The other thing is you can see that they've been executed at great speed.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38For somebody to work as convincingly at great speed,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41they would've had to have been very clever indeed.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43So, I had no doubt, really, that they were Turners.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50Adam was right. The paintings were deemed genuine.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54It's very interesting to undertake this work for its own sake,
0:10:54 > 0:10:59but it's also nice, in the sense that it's led to an important outcome.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03You know, it's a significant moment for Turner's output as well,
0:11:03 > 0:11:04and our knowledge of him,
0:11:04 > 0:11:09so, you know, it's nice that there's been an overall outcome.
0:11:11 > 0:11:16It's not only traditional art that's captivated audiences this year.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19Between July and November, the streets of Swansea
0:11:19 > 0:11:21played host to a series of contemporary exhibits
0:11:21 > 0:11:24that summed up the soul of the city.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Art can kind of seem like it's a bit mysterious,
0:11:27 > 0:11:29and people don't know what it's about.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31It doesn't need to be that way. It CAN be engaging.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34If it's right in front of them, where people work,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37where people live, where people are doing their shopping,
0:11:37 > 0:11:38it's in their public space,
0:11:38 > 0:11:40so they're going to be curious about it,
0:11:40 > 0:11:44and I think that's our kind of role, is to answer those questions.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46The project brought together 14 artists
0:11:46 > 0:11:49to create 12 pieces that represented Swansea,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52in whatever way captured their imagination.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Swansea's a great city. It's got a lot of stories to tell.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57The artists see that in the city.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00They come and spend a few days here, they pick up on something
0:12:00 > 0:12:04and then they come back with some great ideas.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Jock Mooney's piece, in particular, takes a complete different view.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10He's picked up on different stories, he's reinvented the Swansea devil,
0:12:10 > 0:12:14we've got an ice cream, representing Swansea's rich Gallo-Italian heritage,
0:12:14 > 0:12:18and then you've got Bonnie Tyler, who's kind of like from Swansea Bay.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22Again, kind of like slightly humorous, cartoonish, grotesque,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25but it's kind of like more contemporary Swansea icons.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31I think art should be fun. There's no need for it to be highbrow.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33It can comment on social aspects of life,
0:12:33 > 0:12:37it can comment on politics, on cultural issues, all the rest of it.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40But I think at the core of it, it has to have some fun in it,
0:12:40 > 0:12:42otherwise people are not going to be interested.
0:12:45 > 0:12:46APPLAUSE
0:12:46 > 0:12:49Artes Mundi, the biennial competition
0:12:49 > 0:12:52for some of the world's most exciting contemporary artists,
0:12:52 > 0:12:55once again this year stirred and encouraged debate
0:12:55 > 0:12:59among fellow artists, critics and art lovers.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03The wide-ranging work included water from a Mexican morgue,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06photographs from random rolls of film,
0:13:06 > 0:13:10as well as exhibits from the National Museum itself.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14Seven artists battling it out for the £40,000 prize.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23The work is presented in a wide range of media,
0:13:23 > 0:13:27from tapestry, to installation, to film and video,
0:13:27 > 0:13:31to sculpture and forms that look more traditional at first,
0:13:31 > 0:13:35but there's lots of ideas and thinking behind the work.
0:13:36 > 0:13:42It's given to an artist whose work is judged to be exceptional,
0:13:42 > 0:13:47particularly related to considering the human condition.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51The nature of the show means there's kind of themes that run through it.
0:13:51 > 0:13:56This year, some very strong political and social themes run through,
0:13:56 > 0:14:00and artists are exploring those themes in different ways in the works.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02It's often the artist working with an audience
0:14:02 > 0:14:07or a particular social group to create a dialogue around an idea,
0:14:07 > 0:14:11and the work is really that dialogue taking place.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14So, it's much more than a sort of stand-alone work of art
0:14:14 > 0:14:16that can be easily understood.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18It's more a discursive process,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21where the audience and their opinions and thoughts
0:14:21 > 0:14:24are integrated very much into the practice of the artists
0:14:24 > 0:14:26and, by extension, the work itself.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29This year, at a ceremony at the National Museum,
0:14:29 > 0:14:33the £40,000 prize was awarded to Mexico's Teresa Margolles,
0:14:33 > 0:14:37for her piece, Sonidos de la morgue, Sensory Of The Morgue.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39Teresa Margolles...
0:14:39 > 0:14:43Lots of her practice comes from working in a morgue in Mexico.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45She deals with quite serious issues around death,
0:14:45 > 0:14:49but creates very poignant and poetic works
0:14:49 > 0:14:51around those very serious themes.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54It's a new form of art and, indeed,
0:14:54 > 0:15:01an awful lot of what's here is representative of a new form of art.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11- What's your name, my friend?- Gary.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13Gary? OK. That's a good, proper name.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15You know, you're not called Mitsubishi Chicane,
0:15:15 > 0:15:17or any of that sort of nonsense.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20- And what do you do for a living, Gary?- I'm a police officer.
0:15:20 > 0:15:21You're a police officer?!
0:15:21 > 0:15:23LAUGHTER
0:15:23 > 0:15:25Now, I'm looking around, and...
0:15:25 > 0:15:27LAUGHTER
0:15:27 > 0:15:31I think that the majority of this audience is slightly too young
0:15:31 > 0:15:34- to feel the sort of withering resentment that- I- feel towards you...
0:15:34 > 0:15:35LAUGHTER
0:15:35 > 0:15:37..but it'll come.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39For Carmarthenshire comedian Elis James,
0:15:39 > 0:15:422012 has certainly been a busy year.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44As well as touring all over the country,
0:15:44 > 0:15:48the comedian took his show, Speaking As A Mother, to Edinburgh,
0:15:48 > 0:15:50to take part in the month-long Fringe Festival.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54A little showbiz trick. Check that out. So...
0:15:54 > 0:15:58I'm probably not going to be very subtle. "Ladies and gentlemen..."
0:15:58 > 0:16:02But, yeah, I'm excited. I'm nervous. I feel sick. But it will be fine.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05I've moved in with my girlfriend - hooray!
0:16:05 > 0:16:08And as a consequence, nothing interesting has happened to me
0:16:08 > 0:16:10for two and a half years. LAUGHTER
0:16:10 > 0:16:12Literally nothing. Absolutely...
0:16:12 > 0:16:15Last night for the festival, we had a night in.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17Izzy cooked salmon, and it was really nice.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20LAUGHTER
0:16:20 > 0:16:24As well as the solo show, Elis was also part of The Committee Meeting,
0:16:24 > 0:16:29a performance piece based on the distinctively Welsh tradition of the committee,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33written by Elis, with fellow Welsh comedian Chris Corcoran.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37We've had tons of fun doing it in Wales and, you know,
0:16:37 > 0:16:42we just think that there's a good Edinburgh show in this as well.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46There are definitely things about Welshness
0:16:46 > 0:16:51that don't cross the border, in terms of comedic references.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53But, certainly, I think that was a problem
0:16:53 > 0:16:55with some Welsh comedians in days gone by,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58that their material was too Welsh-centric,
0:16:58 > 0:17:02in a way that I don't think Scottish or Irish comedians suffered from.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06The show is centred on audience participation,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09with everyone in the room members of the committee.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12- Keep going! - HE CHEERS, AUDIENCE CLAPS
0:17:12 > 0:17:16It's so different doing it in Risca, to how it is in Edinburgh.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18- What's your name?- Magnus.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20Good old Magnus. Oh, dear, dear, dear.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23- I knew your great, great grandfather.- Oh, did you?
0:17:23 > 0:17:25Yes, what was he called again? Tony?
0:17:25 > 0:17:29- That's the one.- Yeah, that's it. Tony. He was a regular at this club.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31- Oh, yes.- Oh, yes, he was.
0:17:31 > 0:17:32He did, he did, yes.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34LAUGHTER
0:17:34 > 0:17:36He's the one that's played along the most so far, isn't he?
0:17:36 > 0:17:40Yes, he's played along so much, he's actually put me off a little bit.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42LAUGHTER
0:17:42 > 0:17:43APPLAUSE
0:17:43 > 0:17:46That was loads of fun. I enjoyed it. I really enjoyed it.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49And if they're that good, I'm going to have a lovely time, I think.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53And a lovely time he went on to have.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57And for his grand finale, a sold-out comedy showcase.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01I'm a real daydreamer. For instance, yesterday
0:18:01 > 0:18:06I walked into my kitchen in the morning and I picked up a tea towel.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09And then I walked to Tesco with that tea towel
0:18:09 > 0:18:13- thinking it was a bag for- BLEEP- life.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15I think I have proven a point to myself.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19This is the first year where I have written about how I feel
0:18:19 > 0:18:22as opposed to just telling stories.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24All the greatest comics of all time, that's what they were doing.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28When it goes well, it's really great. And it has gone well.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32This has been a lot of fun.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39The year in classical music has been one of change.
0:18:39 > 0:18:44The start of the 2012/13 season for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales
0:18:44 > 0:18:48saw the players welcome their new principal conductor Thomas Sondergard.
0:18:48 > 0:18:54Whilst for Welsh National Opera, it's been the first full year with David Pountney at the helm.
0:18:57 > 0:19:02And under his guidance, WNO welcomed theatre director, Annabel Arden,
0:19:02 > 0:19:04to direct their production of La Boheme.
0:19:04 > 0:19:09Annabel Arden is a director who comes from a theatre tradition.
0:19:09 > 0:19:15She brings a very sensitive, obviously female,
0:19:15 > 0:19:20theatre director's understanding of all those young people in La Boheme.
0:19:20 > 0:19:26She really works very hard to make them into tangible, believable people.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33Some people think you don't see believable people on the opera stage.
0:19:33 > 0:19:38Well, sometimes you do. I think La Boheme was a case in point.
0:19:38 > 0:19:43With glittering reviews, it was clear that WNO had struck the right chord once more.
0:19:43 > 0:19:48We are in the business of communicating ideas to other people.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51That's what we do.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55And so when one realises that that communication has worked
0:19:55 > 0:19:59and that people are appreciative and people are thrilled with the message
0:19:59 > 0:20:02that we're able to convey with music and drama,
0:20:02 > 0:20:06then that's great because we've done our job.
0:20:06 > 0:20:11The success continued with a revival of Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15which was set in the quirky world of 1960s Barry Island.
0:20:16 > 0:20:21Then in July, the company were gifted £1.3 million by the Getty Foundation.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24Having visited a recording of Usher House,
0:20:24 > 0:20:27the new opera by composer in the family, Gordon Getty,
0:20:27 > 0:20:31David decided he'd like to premiere the piece in Wales.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34The money gifted would be the resources to allow this.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37The decision certainly raised some eyebrows in the operatic world,
0:20:37 > 0:20:40with the critics immediately asking
0:20:40 > 0:20:44whether Getty was paying for performances of his own operas.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47David remained adamant that this wasn't the case.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51Mr Getty doesn't pay for his own pieces.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54So we talked about this and we came up with a scheme
0:20:54 > 0:20:57whereby we would do four contemporary works,
0:20:57 > 0:21:00all of which would be British premieres.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03His piece would be one of those.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07And his family trust would support the whole series.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11The story of the next two or three years
0:21:11 > 0:21:16is going to be how flexible, how savvy, how clever,
0:21:16 > 0:21:21how smart, how inventive we are, because there's a lot to give over the next years.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30Cape Town Opera also set up home in the Wales Millennium Centre
0:21:30 > 0:21:34for the European premiere of their opera, The Mandela Trilogy,
0:21:34 > 0:21:37charting the life of the great leader.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39HE SINGS INDISTINCTLY
0:21:50 > 0:21:54One of Wales's greatest modern composers, Karl Jenkins,
0:21:54 > 0:21:59marked his 70th birthday in style with a new composition, The Pacifiers,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02entering the classical chart at number one.
0:22:02 > 0:22:07# I see your beauty
0:22:07 > 0:22:13# I hear your needs. #
0:22:17 > 0:22:22From red carpet premieres to the royal blue of The Iron Lady's dress,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25links between Wales and film have been strong this year.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29Welsh acting talent blossomed once more
0:22:29 > 0:22:33and the landscape continued to be a go-to place for location directors.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35In this hall the normal rules don't apply.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38Everything out there doesn't count.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41I want to put on a show
0:22:41 > 0:22:46that William Shakespeare and David Bowie would be proud of.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49A Swansea comprehensive School was the setting for Mark Evans's film,
0:22:49 > 0:22:54Hunky Dory, which saw its cinematic release in 2012.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57A bittersweet nostalgic story of a free-spirited English teacher,
0:22:57 > 0:23:00played by Hollywood star Minnie Driver,
0:23:00 > 0:23:04trying to turn her pupils onto Shakespeare using the music David Bowie.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08# It's a god-awful small affair
0:23:08 > 0:23:12# To the girl with the mousy hair
0:23:13 > 0:23:17# But her mummy is yelling no
0:23:17 > 0:23:19# And her daddy is... #
0:23:19 > 0:23:22In one of the biggest films of the year, Ammanford-born Alexandra Roach
0:23:22 > 0:23:25shared the screen with double Oscar winner Meryl Streep...
0:23:25 > 0:23:27Steady the bus, old girl.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31..as she took on the part of the young Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34Once I got cast I knew that this was going to be a big project.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37To be sharing a character with Meryl Streep, I mean,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40one of the most amazing actresses of our generation.
0:23:40 > 0:23:45So just to be with her and to have intelligent conversations
0:23:45 > 0:23:49with such an inspiring woman, I'll never forget it.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53One's life must matter, Denis,
0:23:53 > 0:23:56beyond all the cooking and the cleaning and the children.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59One's life must mean more than that.
0:23:59 > 0:24:04I cannot die washing up a teacup.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07I mean it. Dennis.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10Say you understand.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12That's why I want to marry you, my dear.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23A film about Margaret Thatcher wouldn't be complete
0:24:23 > 0:24:27without highlighting the key moment of the 1984/85 miners' strike.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30For those miners in Alexandra's home town of Ammanford,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33little did they know that the young girl amongst them would grow up
0:24:33 > 0:24:36to play her on the silver screen.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38'I come from a mining town myself.'
0:24:38 > 0:24:42My grandfather was underground since he was 12.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45And my father was a policeman during the strikes.
0:24:45 > 0:24:51So it was a big moment in the Roach family when the mines shut down.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54But I had to put all of those judgements to one side.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57It's not my job as an actress to judge Margaret Thatcher.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01But I needed to bring the character to life, really.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Shakespearean classics weren't the only thing
0:25:07 > 0:25:09on National Theatre Wales's roster this year.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13Their production of The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning,
0:25:13 > 0:25:16tracing the early life in school at Haverfordwest
0:25:16 > 0:25:20of the US soldier accused of spreading information to Wikileaks,
0:25:20 > 0:25:22received positive reviews all round.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25Bradley Manning is a sign of the times.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29Bradley Manning was really interesting because I actually watched it over the live web stream.
0:25:29 > 0:25:34There were links to chat blogs so you could look at conversations
0:25:34 > 0:25:36that Bradley Manning had had with his friends.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38It didn't really give any easy answers.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41It didn't give any clear black and white impressions
0:25:41 > 0:25:45of what we should think as an audience. It gave us that ability to think for ourselves,
0:25:45 > 0:25:49which obviously is what probably Bradley Manning wanted.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53When love, when? When love, when?
0:25:53 > 0:25:57The company also took to Swansea's Patti Pavillion for a collaboration
0:25:57 > 0:26:00with Frantic Assembly Theatre Company for a performance
0:26:00 > 0:26:03of Little Dogs, starring the great Sian Phillips,
0:26:03 > 0:26:05her first time with National Theatre Wales.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08I don't know what would have happened to Welsh theatre
0:26:08 > 0:26:13had it not been for NTW, really. They just make shows for the people. And it's of the people.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16It's our company, it's our nation.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19And I think that vision is exciting.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23It excites actors who are getting on a bit,
0:26:23 > 0:26:27who, in a sense, have the right to be a little bit cynical about the world and life,
0:26:27 > 0:26:30and make them excited about new productions and what's going to happen next.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33There are some fantastic talented people working in Wales
0:26:33 > 0:26:36making this kind of work. We're able to kind of cherry pick
0:26:36 > 0:26:38from a really, really strong pool of people.
0:26:41 > 0:26:48July this year saw a ground-breaking collaboration between three of the UK's leading dance companies.
0:26:48 > 0:26:53Scottish Ballet, English National Ballet and National Dance Company Wales
0:26:53 > 0:26:57came together to celebrate the arrival of London 2012.
0:26:57 > 0:27:02Dance GB was a unique opportunity to see three national companies
0:27:02 > 0:27:07perform specially-commissioned works by international choreographers.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09Each piece celebrating the breathtaking power
0:27:09 > 0:27:13and athleticism of incredible dancers.
0:27:13 > 0:27:18MUSIC: "Bolero" by Ravel
0:27:21 > 0:27:27For us, actually collaborating with two other much bigger national companies and ballet companies,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30was hugely exciting.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32But actually an opportunity for raising our profile
0:27:32 > 0:27:36and actually say, although we're smaller, we're of the same quality.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38We just have a different kind of product.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41Dream was created for National Dance Company Wales
0:27:41 > 0:27:43by the eminent choreographer, Christopher Bruce.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46He loved working with our dancers.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48He would throw an idea, a sporting image,
0:27:48 > 0:27:51so the dancers would be throwing a javelin or a boxing match,
0:27:51 > 0:27:55and allow the dancers to explore that physically themselves.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57Then he would select and choose what he wanted.
0:27:57 > 0:28:02And Chris then very carefully put these threads together
0:28:02 > 0:28:07and challenged the dancers to entertained the audiences with the work.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10"Intimate, human and funny" - The Observer's verdict.
0:28:10 > 0:28:15"And the enchanting Dream, the most appealing piece of the three," said the Telegraph.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19Great reviews all round for the National Dance Company.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25It was commented upon that actually of the three national companies,
0:28:25 > 0:28:28that if there were medals being awarded, we would win the gold.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30So we were very proud.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34And it's been a huge critical success and audience success.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45Jazz, rock, pop and hymn singing.
0:28:45 > 0:28:50Artists on the worldwide stage and artists on the reality TV stage.
0:28:50 > 0:28:56Contemporary Welsh music in 2012 has certainly been a mixed bag.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59# Life goes on, it gets so heavy
0:28:59 > 0:29:03# The wheel breaks the butterfly. #
0:29:03 > 0:29:06The year started with Only Boys Aloud reaching the final
0:29:06 > 0:29:08of Britain's Got Talent. They finished third
0:29:08 > 0:29:12but following their success, have recorded an album with Sony.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15# Could be para, para
0:29:15 > 0:29:17# Paradise... In para, para
0:29:17 > 0:29:19# Paradise
0:29:19 > 0:29:22# Could be para, para... #
0:29:22 > 0:29:23Started by Tim Rhys-Evans
0:29:23 > 0:29:27as a way to bring together boys from all over the valleys,
0:29:27 > 0:29:29many of whom have never sung before,
0:29:29 > 0:29:33the year has underlined the amazing journey that the choir's been on.
0:29:33 > 0:29:35# Para, para
0:29:35 > 0:29:37# Paradise...
0:29:37 > 0:29:40# Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh... #
0:29:42 > 0:29:46If you're a lad that's not achieved very much in your life,
0:29:46 > 0:29:48then all of a sudden you're making an album with Sony,
0:29:48 > 0:29:53that's going to change your perceptions of yourself.
0:29:57 > 0:30:02The festival scene was a vibrant one in Wales again this year.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06Wakestock saw some big names hit the glorious North Wales coastline.
0:30:06 > 0:30:13And despite the rain, Green Man Festival brought its chilled out vibe back to the Brecon Beacons.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16The capital city welcomed the fourth annual Soundtrack Festival,
0:30:16 > 0:30:21which highlights the important connection between a film soundtrack and its pictures.
0:30:21 > 0:30:23A particular highlight this year was Vincent Moon,
0:30:23 > 0:30:25the French music video director,
0:30:25 > 0:30:29who's been around the world just filming, like, shamanic rituals
0:30:29 > 0:30:33and music in dying languages, out in the wilds of Russia
0:30:33 > 0:30:35and Chechnya at the moment.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39He came in and did a session which blew everybody's mind.
0:30:39 > 0:30:40I've been making films
0:30:40 > 0:30:43about music, live music, for many years
0:30:43 > 0:30:45and in the past four years I've been travelling
0:30:45 > 0:30:51and researching on mostly ancient music, traditional, sacred music
0:30:51 > 0:30:56and I make short films and I put them on the internet.
0:30:56 > 0:30:57I'm just the traveller
0:30:57 > 0:31:01and I just find films as a great way to interact with people.
0:31:01 > 0:31:05The festival this year saw the premiere of Kelly and Victor,
0:31:05 > 0:31:08a destructive love story first captured in prose
0:31:08 > 0:31:10by Wales-based author, Niall Griffiths
0:31:10 > 0:31:14and now transformed into a film by Welsh director, Kieran Evans.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17Set against the gritty backdrop of Toxteth in Liverpool,
0:31:17 > 0:31:22it follows a young couple on the stormy path of their intense love affair.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25# And those are honest words... #
0:31:25 > 0:31:28The film features the soundtrack provided by some of the UK's
0:31:28 > 0:31:33most acclaimed artists, included Mercury music prize nominated
0:31:33 > 0:31:34King Creosote and Jon Hopkins,
0:31:34 > 0:31:38as well as the gifted guitar work of Bill Ryder-Jones.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40A lot of it was shot around North Wales
0:31:40 > 0:31:44and it was beautiful, stunning and the music just really
0:31:44 > 0:31:48so integrated that you wouldn't notice it on a normal cinema viewing,
0:31:48 > 0:31:51but that's what Soundtrack is all about.
0:31:51 > 0:31:56We try and keep it as accessible to grass-roots film-makers as well.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58We want them to meet the talent.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01We bring in these people to Cardiff for a reason and we want them
0:32:01 > 0:32:04to meet these guys and get as much out of it as possible.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07We try to be just as broad with our film programme as well
0:32:07 > 0:32:09and we've had a really good year.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13# ..he wrote the stars... #
0:32:13 > 0:32:16One of the new festivals that I really enjoyed visiting this year
0:32:16 > 0:32:22was Festival No 6, which was located in quite an unusual location in Portmeirion.
0:32:22 > 0:32:27We were all saying to each other, you just wouldn't believe that it was possible to put a festival on
0:32:27 > 0:32:32in such a beautiful place but thankfully the musical crowds that went
0:32:32 > 0:32:34were very respectful of the place
0:32:34 > 0:32:38and there was wonderful small stages and pockets of activity
0:32:38 > 0:32:43in the woods and under the castle, or in the castle lobby.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45It was a place of intrigue and wonder.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49So some new talent to look out for as well next year.
0:32:49 > 0:32:53Masters In France might surprise us a little bit more...
0:32:53 > 0:32:57# I'm going to call up some of my buddies... #
0:32:57 > 0:33:00..after they had huge success with an IKEA advert
0:33:00 > 0:33:03at the tail end of 2012 and I hope they do follow it up
0:33:03 > 0:33:05with some success.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08# Put on a heck of a show... #
0:33:08 > 0:33:13Finally, the world's attention will be turning on Wales at the end of next year
0:33:13 > 0:33:17when WOMEX, an international festival will come to Cardiff
0:33:17 > 0:33:22and I think the launch night is going to be curated by Cery's Matthews
0:33:22 > 0:33:24and it's going to be wonderful.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28Do look out for all the news and gigs connected to WOMEX next year
0:33:28 > 0:33:32because I know it'll put Wales on the map in a totally new and fresh way.
0:33:35 > 0:33:41At the beginning of 2012 the future for the Brecon Jazz Festival looked bleak.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45In May though it was announced that Cardiff-based events and media company Orchard,
0:33:45 > 0:33:49had been awarded the tender to operate the famous festival.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53We knew we were taking on a big challenge.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56We had a short period of time to deliver something
0:33:56 > 0:33:59that we hoped would be a good quality
0:33:59 > 0:34:04and people would be pleased. It would bear the Brecon Jazz brand.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07Welsh jazz pianist extraordinaire Huw Warren was chosen
0:34:07 > 0:34:10as the artist in residence.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13As well as performing, he was responsible for programming the festival.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16As a festival, Brecon is all about being
0:34:16 > 0:34:19an international festival and being a Welsh Festival.
0:34:21 > 0:34:25Personally, I tried to reflect both of those sides.
0:34:25 > 0:34:29The shape of Brecon Jazz was that it would be
0:34:29 > 0:34:31a really wide-ranging, balanced programme.
0:34:31 > 0:34:35So that there would be something for everybody there.
0:34:35 > 0:34:37# The moment I wake up... #
0:34:37 > 0:34:39On the Friday night, the Market Hall was set alight
0:34:39 > 0:34:42with headliner, Dionne Warwick.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45# I say a little prayer
0:34:45 > 0:34:48# Say a little prayer for you... #
0:34:48 > 0:34:52And, over the weekend, the smaller venues around Brecon sang out with
0:34:52 > 0:34:55the sound of some of the world's best jazz artists,
0:34:55 > 0:34:58some upcoming talent and some street entertainment.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04I think the festival set out to provide a variety of different
0:35:04 > 0:35:06types of music and different settings
0:35:06 > 0:35:09and almost providing for different audiences.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14We were famously quoted in one of the press,
0:35:14 > 0:35:18Brecon's regained its mojo and I think what we want to do is give it back its mojo.
0:35:18 > 0:35:22# Celebrate... #
0:35:25 > 0:35:28This year the annual Hay Festival welcomed speakers
0:35:28 > 0:35:32from all corners of the globe to the world-famous event held in May and June.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37October this year saw the publication of the Burton Diaries,
0:35:37 > 0:35:44some of the 400,000 words that the revered actor kept in pocket books and desk diaries.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46Revealing some of Burton's most private moments,
0:35:46 > 0:35:50they were compiled into a book by Professor Chris Williams.
0:35:50 > 0:35:52This really is Burton in his own words.
0:35:54 > 0:35:55He reads in a voraciously...
0:35:55 > 0:36:01It's history, biography, current affairs, sport, crime writing,
0:36:01 > 0:36:05novels, poetry and not just reading books
0:36:05 > 0:36:09but then feeding into his diary writing,
0:36:09 > 0:36:13lines from Shakespeare, Gerard Manley Hopkins,
0:36:13 > 0:36:17Dylan Thomas, Alan Lewis.
0:36:17 > 0:36:22It's speckled throughout the diaries that kind of engagement with literature.
0:36:22 > 0:36:27He talks about wanting to be a writer, wanting to be a don.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31I think I made a great mistake in becoming an actor
0:36:31 > 0:36:37because I think my real desire would have been to be a scholar.
0:36:38 > 0:36:39'I'm very excited.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42'I am as thrilled by the English language as I am
0:36:42 > 0:36:44'by a lovely woman, or dreams.
0:36:44 > 0:36:46'Green as dreams and deep as death.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49'Christ, I'm off and running and will lecture them
0:36:49 > 0:36:53'until iambic pentameter comes out of their nostrils.'
0:36:57 > 0:36:59In July, the Welsh Book Of The Year prize was awarded
0:36:59 > 0:37:03to Patrick McGuinness for his debut novel, The Last Hundred Days.
0:37:03 > 0:37:07Set in Romania, it centres on dissidents, black marketeers,
0:37:07 > 0:37:10spies and ordinary people as they all watch each other
0:37:10 > 0:37:14as Europe's most paranoid regime plays out its bloody end game.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17In the Welsh language prize,
0:37:17 > 0:37:21Jon Gower took the accolade with Y Storiwr, The Storyteller,
0:37:21 > 0:37:23a wonderful tale of Gwydion McGideon
0:37:23 > 0:37:26and his amazing storytelling ability.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30The international Dylan Thomas prize,
0:37:30 > 0:37:32that's awarded to authors under 30,
0:37:32 > 0:37:36was this year presented to Californian Maggie Shipstead for Seating Arrangements,
0:37:36 > 0:37:39the story of a high society wedding
0:37:39 > 0:37:43set on a fictional island off New England.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46What it was about her work, is it seems really effortless
0:37:46 > 0:37:48in this fluent voice.
0:37:48 > 0:37:52The story was never encumbered by any limits on the author's behalf
0:37:52 > 0:37:55because the voice was still not formed fully.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57So she definitely went on to win
0:37:57 > 0:38:01and I really hope she has a great year in the name of Dylan Thomas.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06What's the secret of good sports writing?
0:38:06 > 0:38:08Is it putting across the facts?
0:38:08 > 0:38:12The whens, the how manys, the statistics, the results?
0:38:12 > 0:38:16Or is it about conveying to people who already know what happened,
0:38:16 > 0:38:18who may indeed have been there.
0:38:18 > 0:38:24A story so compelling that they forget everything that they thought they knew?
0:38:24 > 0:38:27That's the challenge that's faced Owen Sheers this year.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31As the inaugural writer in residence at the Welsh Rugby Union,
0:38:31 > 0:38:34he's been on the journey that taken him to a place where
0:38:34 > 0:38:38he really can say, "I know cos I was there".
0:38:38 > 0:38:42COMMENTATOR: Williams leads the charge. Croft goes back.
0:38:42 > 0:38:44Scott Williams tries!
0:38:44 > 0:38:47For the Welsh fans, Scott's try had provided
0:38:47 > 0:38:51the kind of moment for which every rugby enthusiast hopes.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55A moment when the emotional contours of thousands move in exact alignment,
0:38:55 > 0:38:59switchbacking in just seven seconds from the anxiety of an English attack
0:38:59 > 0:39:03to the sudden jubilation of Scott's kick-through and score.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07I guess the aspirations for the role were always
0:39:07 > 0:39:10to take the writing somewhere else, other than sports journalism.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13There are lots of excellent sports journalists
0:39:13 > 0:39:15who are already writing about rugby.
0:39:15 > 0:39:17I was aware that I had this incredibly privileged access.
0:39:17 > 0:39:21Rugby is itself theatre, it's balletic,
0:39:21 > 0:39:24it's aspirational and to write about it in a way
0:39:24 > 0:39:27that gets to its spirituality,
0:39:27 > 0:39:28to its soul, I'd say,
0:39:28 > 0:39:31you need a proper artist.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34That's the breakthrough that they wanted.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37Owen has recorded his residency in a book,
0:39:37 > 0:39:40Calon: A Journey Into The Heart Of Welsh Rugby
0:39:40 > 0:39:42which will be published in the Spring.
0:39:42 > 0:39:46The drama of a rugby match, it's pure theatre.
0:39:46 > 0:39:50It's better than theatre because the end of the script,
0:39:50 > 0:39:51it still isn't written.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55It's being written in every single second.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58How do you capture that in prose when everyone knows the outcome?
0:39:58 > 0:40:02I found that a real challenge but a very exciting challenge too.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04WHISTLE BLOWS
0:40:04 > 0:40:06The prize that's conjured from the unexpected,
0:40:06 > 0:40:10the breaking of the pattern that makes the pattern more beautiful.
0:40:10 > 0:40:14To experience this jeopardy, to be at the mercy of the sports vagaries
0:40:14 > 0:40:17is why we watch rugby. To care and to feel.
0:40:17 > 0:40:19..and Wales start the celebrations.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:40:21 > 0:40:24What I think Owen is going to do in his book, Calon,
0:40:24 > 0:40:28is to give people back that sense of emotion
0:40:28 > 0:40:31that they had at the time. It'll be very accessible,
0:40:31 > 0:40:33but I think it'll also be thoughtful.
0:40:33 > 0:40:37If a reader can feel engaged with a player, or a coach,
0:40:37 > 0:40:41on a deeper level, then they become interested in them as a person.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44Hopefully they'll become interested in following them
0:40:44 > 0:40:45through that story.
0:40:45 > 0:40:50And, of course, despite recent losses, 2012 was a grand slam year.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53A very good year, then, to be a writer in residence.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57When I've interviewed the players about the grand slam, a lot of them
0:40:57 > 0:40:59talk about belief. It was almost infectious.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02I started to believe that very early on, as well.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04It's such an emotional game in Wales
0:41:04 > 0:41:09and yet to play it well at the top-flight level, I'm aware,
0:41:09 > 0:41:12although undoubtedly the players feel that emotion,
0:41:12 > 0:41:17they have to pare it away to really play to the best of their ability.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21So much of what I've been doing has been about being there
0:41:21 > 0:41:24and about turning up and observing.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27You might hear a line, you might see something at the fringes.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30It's very rarely when the main events are happening.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32Unless you're one of the men crossing that whitewash
0:41:32 > 0:41:35onto that pitch, you can never exactly know how it is.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39We have turnover ball.
0:41:39 > 0:41:40WHISTLE BLOWS
0:41:40 > 0:41:45Penalty to Wales! It's all over.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48The Welsh players celebrate.
0:41:48 > 0:41:50Wales have won the Grand Slam.
0:41:50 > 0:41:55I do feel as though I've been lucky enough to sit at the shoulder,
0:41:55 > 0:41:59or you could say at the shoulder of giants, in terms of the Welsh backline.
0:41:59 > 0:42:03And to certainly see things through a player's perspective
0:42:03 > 0:42:06and I hope I've got some of that across on the page.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09Owen is our man inside. I mean, that's the real thing.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12He's our heart and he's our mind and he's our voice
0:42:12 > 0:42:16and he's articulating, I hope in his book, what it is the people of Wales
0:42:16 > 0:42:21will want to take with them and, how can I put this, to go to bed with.
0:42:21 > 0:42:22CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:42:25 > 0:42:27As the curtain falls on 2012,
0:42:27 > 0:42:31we can look back on a lively year in the Welsh arts world.
0:42:31 > 0:42:36And as 2013 begins, there's plenty to look forward to.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39Some of the world's best voices will battle it out
0:42:39 > 0:42:41to become Cardiff Singer Of The World.
0:42:41 > 0:42:46Caernarvon's Bedwyr Williams will take his live comedic talent
0:42:46 > 0:42:50and exhibits to represent Wales at the Venice Biennale.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53We can look forward to a raft of ground-breaking new work
0:42:53 > 0:42:57from our National Theatre and dance companies, as well as plenty
0:42:57 > 0:43:01of performances from our finest actors, singers and entertainers.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04Happy New Year!
0:43:10 > 0:43:13Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd