Byw Celwydd, Series 3 ( 2018/2019 )

Welsh
#1

Has anyone been following this?

I loved series 1 and 2, but for various reasons, have only just begun to catch up with series 3.

At the time of writing (19-02-2019), I think the early episodes only have a bit less than 2 weeks before they expire, so if anyone else wants to catch up, you might want to start now before they go. :slight_smile:

Not sure how many episodes are in the entire series, but I think there are 8 currently available.
(I’ve got to 5 so far).

As I’m sure was said many times around the time of series 1, the whole concept is very reminiscent of the Danish series “Borgen” for those who like Scandi-drama.

Let’s see: Small country, coalition governments, small party led by charismatic female leader holding balance of power, and then actually becoming First Minister, lots and lots of squabbles and in-fighting, the odd bit of hows-your-father… :slight_smile:

Eniwe, curiously, the least interesting aspect of the programme is actually the politics. When you’ve seen one bit of wheeler-dealing between the parties with a bit of media collusion, you’ve seen it all, really (although there have been some interesting & believable stories in this series, like the one on the Welsh Language).

The best part of it is the fantastic acting and the great characters. And for us Welsh learners, the sheer quantity of words on offer! Not for Byw Celwydd those long moody silences of “Y Gwyll”! - Oh no! - Politicians and their advisers never stop talking. :slight_smile: And neither do media people, either. And on Byw Celwydd there are plenty of both (or all three).

And there is a nice mix of northern and southern Welsh, and probably everything in between. There is even one guy speaking “sh*t Welsh” (to quote one of the other characters). Hilarious!

Enjoy it while you can. :slight_smile:

1 Like
#2

Diolch yn fawr i ti, @mikeellwood!

I found Bang! (urban) easier than Y Gwyllt, and then Bore Mercher better in some respects, too. I know why even in English Hinterland takes so long for me to watch - those long moody landscapes/close-up on textures, tightlipped and isolated, sometimes mumbling, often rural characters-with-backlog-of-issues and a habit of leaving obscure visual clues to any criminality, are a great test of concentration and insomnia cure. I lose the battle to make sense, I gain sleep. I rewind, I get very confused about where I left off, and thus in a narrative progress warp or loop.

Bore Mercher is gripping but the sound track and very unlikeliness of events would put me in a bemused trance, or the sight of that poor chubby pre-toddler being bandied or handed around from grandparental pillar to supportive girlfriend/long-suffering secretarial PA post.

So I shall check out Byw Celwydd - I have only known Celwydd Poeth & was looking for a bit of storyline. Iechyd dda!

#3

Da Iawn, but don’t hang about, in case it starts to disappear…

Ideally, one should have some idea of the backstory (from series’s 1 & 2), but I don’t think they are currently available. Would be great if they made them available as a “box set”.

Feel free to ask any questions in case I can help (to the limits of my limited memory, of course! :-)).

1 Like