BBC Wales has announced today a variety of new television commissions to entertain, educate and inspire over the autumn.
The range of programmes include; Amy Dowden: Crohn’s And Me (w/t), first Welsh professional Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden discusses how living with a severely debilitating chronic illness has affected her life and career. Rhod Gilbert has an issue that he – like many millions of men – doesn’t usually like to talk about. In Rhod Gilbert: Stand Up To Infertility Rhod meets fellow sufferers, discovers why it is such a growing problem and explores what can be done.
Black And Welsh features an extraordinary collection of stories and experiences from actors, comedians, leading business figures to models, influencers and community heroes who share their experience of what it means to be black and Welsh. The History Makers: Black Miners Of Wales reveals what life was like for black migrants who worked throughout the 19th and 20th centuries in mines across Wales.
Filmed over five years, Five years A woman: A Transgender Story (w/t) is the remarkable story of one transgender teenager’s transition – from farmer’s son to young woman – and her emergence into adulthood. Carol Vorderman takes a trip down memory lane in Carol Vorderman: Closer To Home and enjoys an epic exploration of North Wales. Dark Land: Hunting The Killers reinvestigates the country’s most shocking unsolved murders. And finally, the secrets of Wales’s wildlife are revealed for the first time in two Wales: Land Of The Wild specials. Get ready to see our wildlife like never before.
Nick Andrews, Head of Commissioning for BBC Wales, says: “At the start of the year we asked the indie sector to give us a greater range of factual shows than ever before and they delivered. We have here the most eclectic mix of stories told by the very best in the business and our audience are going to love it. More than ever before our shows need to have impact. Our Welsh voices need to be heard – not just here but across the UK – and what we have commissioned for this autumn does just that.”
Commissions
Amy Dowden: Crohn’s And Me (w/t) secures exclusive access to the life of Amy Dowden, the first ever Welsh professional to enter the Strictly Ballroom. Amy was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease when she was 19, a condition that can, at any time, leave her hospitalised and in pain. Amy confronts her condition, learning more about it, meeting other sufferers, explores how to overcome it and discusses how the condition has affected her life and career.
Production company: Wildflame
Rhod Gilbert fronts new documentary Rhod Gilbert: Stand Up To Infertility that tackles the issue of male infertility. His most recent stand-up show has not shied away from his own issues with fertility. In this funny and moving film he reveals what is happening in his own life, launches a campaign to raise awareness of men’s fertility, and meets several couples all of whom are dealing with male infertility.
Production company: Marmalade
Cardiff-born film-maker Liana Stewart’s documentary Black And Welsh is rooted in her own experience of growing up in Butetown. She weaves together an extraordinary collection of stories and experiences from Newport to Bethesda, young and old, families and industries, from a 19 year-old model storming to international runway success to a 92 year-old whose arrival in Wales predates the Empire Windrush. Black And Welsh captures an important snapshot of life in Wales in 2020 for future generations.
Production company: ie ie productions
We all know Wales has a rich history of coal mining but The History Makers: Black Miners Of Wales tells the stories of the black men who worked throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, in mines as far flung as Point of Ayr in Flintshire and Garth Colliery in Bridgend. In this film, ex-footballer Nathan Blake reveals what life was like for black migrants attempting to integrate into the Welsh mining tradition over a large and turbulent period of history. He uncovers the racial tension, the camaraderie and unlikely friendships, the legendary strikes, the life-changing injuries, and the mining disasters which cost many of their lives.
Production company: Cardiff Productions
Five years A woman: A Transgender Story (w/t). Since 2015 Telesgop TV has been following the unfolding story of Welsh teenager Lily Jones as she embarks on her journey to transition from male to female. Lily has challenged perceptions and prejudices from the start both within and outside the transgender community. This is the remarkable story of one transgender teenager’s transition – from farmer’s son to young woman – and her emergence into adulthood.
Production company: Telesgop
Carol Vorderman: Closer To Home. In this nostalgic and adventurous three-part series, Carol Vorderman is homeward bound, taking a trip down memory lane to enjoy an epic exploration of North Wales – beginning in her own back yard. This is a unique journey for Carol and this trek along the North Wales Path is an opportunity to reflect on her life, revisit significant places from her formative years and reconnect with the place she once called ‘home’.
Production company: Wildflame
Dark Land: Hunting The Killers reinvestigates the country’s most shocking unsolved murders. Each episode will see an expert team visit a different community, where the shockwaves of an unsolved murder still reverberate.
Production company: Monster Films
Wales: Land Of The Wild specials. Following on from Wales: Land Of The Wild, the latest wildlife filming technology is used to delve deeper into Wales’s mosaic of spectacular habitats – from mountain slopes to ancient forests, and from agricultural fields to urban gardens.
Production company: Plimsoll Productions
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