The Wales Thread

I just read that Sir Goronwy Daniel, who played a key role in establishing S4C~ has died at the age of 88.

It seems that BBC 2W have also now jumped on the people ident bandwagon -- more like Five, rather than ITV-1 or BBC ONE -- everyday Welsh settings with people in them, and the 2W box being moved around in real life.

They're not that bad actually IMO -- nice for a Welsh channel than broadcasts for about 3/4 hours a day. Couple of examples are here, there are a few more though ~

http://members.lycos.co.uk/tindragon/BBC2W2003.JPG http://members.lycos.co.uk/tindragon/BBC2W2003a.JPG
http://members.lycos.co.uk/tindragon/BBC2W2003e.JPG http://members.lycos.co.uk/tindragon/BBC2W2003f.JPG
http://members.lycos.co.uk/tindragon/BBC2W2003c.JPG http://members.lycos.co.uk/tindragon/BBC2W2003d.JPG


Also, is anyone else watching The Story of Welsh with Huw Edwards? It really is very interesting -- and no, it's not in Welsh! I've learned a hell of a lot about Wales and the history of people and the language, and we're only up to 1536!

Amongst other things, a reason why Welsh has remained, and is the oldest language in Europe [once the main language in the whole of Britain!] is the landscape. Broadly speaking, the Saxons couldn't make much impact cos of the mountains, the Vikings couldn't sail up the Welsh rivers, as they could the Thames and the Ouse etc.

Most significant, especially for Pembrokeshire members of the forum, is that the Normans got most of South Wales and South Pembs, which became The March -- which had its own court. Huw was in Narbeth at the Landsker Shop, marking the boundary between the Welsh placenames [North of there] and the English placenames [South of there]. Then, Henry I gave permission for some weavers to settle in S Pembs and they brought the English language to the region -- so even 900 years ago, set up what still remains today as "Little England".

Did anyone see HTV News yesterday? Carole Green presented it - she wasnt very good.

. . ./.. . .
. . /.I. . .
. ./..I... .
. . . I . . .
. . . I . . .
. . . I . . .
. . . I . . .
. . . I . . .

Hence that's why so many people in South Pembrokeshire don't have welsh accents. It's just like a stolen peice of Oxfordshire.

Yes Huw was in Narberth LOL! I used to go to the baguette shop next to it last summer when I was working in Narberth.

For anyone interested here are some captures from the Pembrokeshire edition of Treasure Hunt from the other night on Challenge TV. (Filmed in 1986)

http://www.jamez.plus.com/th/th_001.jpg
The Green bridge of Wales - South Pembrokeshire

http://www.jamez.plus.com/th/th_005.jpg

http://www.jamez.plus.com/th/th_006.jpg

http://www.jamez.plus.com/th/th_007.jpg
St Govans chappel - over 1000 years old, built into the cliffs on the south pembs coast.

http://www.jamez.plus.com/th/th_008.jpg
The beach where I go in the summer, and where I shall be walking my dog later today. Broad Haven South, near Bosherston

http://www.jamez.plus.com/th/th_009.jpg

http://www.jamez.plus.com/th/th_012.jpg
Pembroke Castle - Built 900 years ago.

http://www.jamez.plus.com/th/th_014.jpg

http://www.jamez.plus.com/th/th_015.jpg
Note the flag flying over Pembroke Castle

http://www.jamez.plus.com/th/th_017.jpg
Pembroke River - The power station you see on the top right was demolished in November 1999.

http://www.jamez.plus.com/th/th_018.jpg
Nice to see such an ugly building no longer exists.

http://www.jamez.plus.com/th/th_023.jpg
The Cleddau bridge. 75p to cross it. The ITV Digital call centre was built on the grassy meadow you see in the bottom right in 1999.

I've been to Pembrokeshire about 4 times and it's a very pretty place [bloody Sea Empress], and I have been to Pembroke, Tenby and Narberth, but nowhere up the top coast or the Preseli area. Even some of the coast of *cough* Carmarthenshire is quite nice, like Pembrey and Laugharne -- but it can't be the same, and sorry for the swear word there..

The castle and Cleddau bridge are very nice, but it's the west Wales beaches I love. The ones on the Gower are lovely [don't know if you're familiar], 3 Cliffs Bay, Oxwich, Rhossili, Worms Head, Port Eynon. Of course this is only when the sun is shining!


http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38670000/jpg/_38670419_big_cat5_map300.jpg
DAY 16

LOL, Wales is now one of the top sites for big cat spotting [186 sightings], after the big dog, I mean, lynx [of course it's a lynx really..] was again spotted again by some old woman.

The delightfully sour Catherine Evan-Williams brought us the HTV report, and an MP has called for a proper Government investigation. So even more money can be spent on catching what is almost certainly a labrador..

A Labrador I was looking forward to it being a big pussy

At 05:59:10, Cardiff should take control away from network and run their own trails before heading back to London for Breakfast. At the end they opt away and run their own trails again.

They may clip because London runs what it likes when it likes and sometimes without telling the poor directors in the nations.

Ok, so far understood. That's what I thought. But to continue this through the day, does this happen for every single junction? At the end of every programme, do Wales [Scot & NI] cut away from network for their trails and continuity into the next programme, which again comes from network, and so on throughout the day? Because clipping occurs any time in the day, but very very rarely, and I'd feel that if Cardiff opts out at the end of each programme and back in at the start of the next, far more clipping would go on than does now, especially if Network can be a bit erm, discourteous. Idents sometimes run for much longer on BBC ONE Wales I notice -- saying the same script, but more of the clean ident before and after the announcement.

And then there's the time delay. Usually there is a one second delay between BBC ONE and BBC ONE Wales [although there is none between digital Network and analogue Wales]. Even on overnight News 24. But not on the Sign Zone for example, which has continuity and eventually the handover coming from London. So I see a difference there.
And then there's missing the first drumbeat of EastEnders.. which doesn't happen so much now..

Just seen a promotion for Wales This Week on ITV1Wales.

No, HTV West have Sugar and Spice tomorrow [Thursday] at 19:30. I'd be *extremely* surprised a programme called Wales This Week would be shown across the channel. It's a well-established Welsh affairs programme, and often has to draw on things outside of Wales before the Welsh relevance is revealed.

Either that was a mistake [which I doubt], or they feel saying 'ITV-1 Wales' is a bit redundant and awkward after mentioning the programme's title, or they're just starting to do the inevitable and ease us into not noticing the difference between ITV-1 Wales and ITV-1 [which, in fairness, is on all network trails], leaving them ready to just do away with the whole concept entirely.. *Sigh*

Must've been a big news day this evening since Wales Today didn't finish till gone 7.00 -- but I liked the way the 6 News was introduced as being with Sara Edwards in Cardiff *first*, George and Sophie in London *second*.
Doesn't make sense mind, but who cares..

Former ITN man, Glen Goodman, had a report from Anglesey because Brussels allegedly said that it couldn't be an island since it's too close to the mainland. So the locals were grumbling and one said how, if you took the bridges down it'd be an island, totally surrounded by water and no-one would be able to get to it.. which sounds like a rather good idea IMO.

No big cat details today -- boo. Will they hurry up with the hair analysis already..