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Botox, big bums and beauty: Producing Young, Welsh and Pretty Skint

2016-03-01T11:00:20+00:00

When I was asked to produce the new series of Young, Welsh and Pretty Skint, I had no real idea about the world I was about to step into.

Growing up, I’d never been a particularly girly girl. I prefer to go for the natural look and apart from the occasional manicure and fake tan (for special events), I’ve never really embraced the cosmetic or beauty industry.

But this series is all about young people living in Wales who spend every last penny on achieving a certain look. I have to admit, I was intrigued to find out why.

Armed with Iwan, the director, and Mali, the researcher we set out to meet those who see Botox and big bums as life’s necessities.

Fitness model Caitlin, 24, spends thousands on custom bikinis for competitions

Before we knew it we were thrust into a world where bikini-clad girls were wearing enough bling to rival any of Beyoncé’s outfits; where muscular men were queuing up for a spray tan with nothing more than a sock to cover their modesty and where the ‘ass class’ is the new going out!

Suddenly, as a thirty-something mother of two, I started to feel slightly old and just a bit scruffy. It didn’t help when I caught glimpses of myself in the many mirrors which seemed to be at every location we filmed in… Were those laughter lines around my eyes calling out for a shot of Botox? Or would life really be so much better with a permanent tan?

I was starting to worry that being immersed in this world may force our small production team to go native! There were several moments where Mali, our young and trendy researcher contemplated having her eyebrows weaved or attempt a fitness modelling competition. Even Iwan - whose beauty regime is very limited - went out to have his hair cut.

Hairdresser Jade lets clients rent hair extensions - made from real human hair

It’s not everyone’s cup of tea and admittedly, there’ll be a few raised eyebrows during the series. But each contributor has his or her own reasons for wanting to look good. Some are doing it to make themselves feel good and boost their confidence. Others use their look as armour to fight against the bullying they endured as a child.

Whatever their reasons, there’s no doubt that while these young people spend the little they have on fake tans, cosmetic procedures and hair extensions, they’re also really enjoying life. Soon enough they’ll have family responsibilities and mortgages to pay and will have to wave goodbye to their extravagant and indulgent beauty regimes, so are they really doing any harm?

Caitlin pays for multiple gym memberships - so she can train wherever she goes

As alien as this world was to me personally, I really enjoyed meeting with all the contributors. Yes, it was an eye-opener and a lot of fun, but before you ask, no, I didn’t reach for the Botox.

Catrin Rowlands produced the new series of Young, Welsh and Pretty Skint.

Young, Welsh and Pretty Skint starts on Thursday, 3 March at 6pm on BBC Three. It will also be broadcast on BBC One Wales from Monday, 7 March at 10.40pm. Each episode will be available to watch in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

We ask Hinterland’s Mali Harries: What is it with the red parka?

2016-01-13T13:00:21+00:00

Think of crime drama Hinterland, and a few things are bound to come to mind. The mysterious, impressive backdrop of the Ceredigion countryside. The ever-present feeling of tension mounting. And DI Mared Rhys' bright red coat.

So we asked actress Mali Harries what it feels like to put that parka on every day...

The story of the red coat is as follows. Marc Evans, the director of Hinterland's first episode in 2013, wanted my character, Mared Rhys, to have a parka jacket.

Hubert Tachanovski, the director of photography for the first series, wanted a bright colour, so that in the very wide shots of the landscape, you could easily spot Mared out of the green, greys, and browns of the land.

Ffion Elinor, Hinterland’s costume designer, wanted a bit of fur (fake, obviously). And I wanted something that could keep me warm during the snow, hail, wind and rain. So the red coat that Ffion eventually found brought all these ideas together.

Richard Harrington (DCI Tom Mathias) may be the lead actor but his coat is in a supporting role

A lot of fans ask on Twitter where the coat is from. It's actually an Italian make, and is brilliant.

The coat has a certain following, and I call it a ‘she’, as she is beautiful and strong, weatherproof and brilliant.

As regards to her having her own Twitter account, I am very surprised that she doesn't have one. In episode four (in 2014) where I wore a cream version, some people felt it wasn't right. In a way, the coat is Mared's uniform, as if to say: "I'm ready for anything, bring it on. Rain, wind, hail, snow." And certainly filming in Ceredigion for such a long period of time, we will encounter all sorts of weather.

Mared's cream coat didn't prove as popular with Hinterland fans

With regards to her being a character in her own right, she is welcome to have all the adventures she deserves. Hopefully she can be auctioned off for a charity at the end of the series.

I personally would steer clear of wearing a big red parka in future, as I feel it would spoil my disguise in real life. Normally I don't wear make-up and I tie my hair back, so wearing a similar coat would blow my cover somewhat! Although I have bought a few coats from the same company, as they are so well made. Buy cheap, but twice I always say.

Mali takes a break between scenes - but the coat stays firmly on, obviously

If I was to buy Mared a new coat, it would have to be extremely warm and comfortable, but maybe a little more fitted for when the seasons get warmer.

Mali Harries plays DI Mared Rhys in Hinterland.

Hinterland, series two continues on BBC Four on Saturday, 30 April at 9pm. The series was first broadcast from Wednesday, 6 January at 9pm on BBC One Wales. The series will be available to watch from everywhere in the UK in BBC iPlayer. Each episode is available for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

The feature-length special is coming! Mali Harries shares her view of Hinterland

2015-04-02T08:09:51+00:00

Mali Harries took a break from filming series two of Hinterland in the wilds of Ceredigon to share a few thoughts on the feel of this weekend’s feature-length special.

Working in two languages – English and Welsh - is a real challenge. You can’t literally translate it line for line, as there are differences in the syntax and rhythm. The meaning is often the same, but the colour can vary between both languages.

I speak Welsh at home, but I have no preference as to which language I work in, I just want to work! The police language often flows easier in English. I personally don’t feel anything is lost in translation. We can’t allow it to be, as the Welsh language and non-Welsh language viewers have the right to enjoy every beat of each scene, regardless.

I improvised the line "Why is it women do the work, men get promoted?" during a tonal meeting. I think often women crack on with the job, and aren’t always given the praise, or the pay they deserve. Mared, like myself, is a straight talker.

Working with Richard Harrington (DCI Mathias) is a real pleasure. He’s a very passionate person, and he often larks around, which is good, as I tend to get a bit serious when I work. In a scene, if there is a slight problem with anything, it often turns into a great moment with Rich. In Hinterland, we are encouraged to work in a very a very organic way, so as actors we can contribute things, and if they’re agreed they are included.

The sparse dialogue in Hinterland definitely gives us more freedom to play as actors. I think that silence is a wonderful thing, it means that the atmosphere is driven by people’s innermost thoughts and not just the plot.

Mali Harries plays DI Mared Rhys in Hinterland.

A feature-length special episode of Hinterland is available to watch in BBC iPlayer until Tuesday, 6 October at 12.10am.

It was first broadcast on BBC One Wales on Monday, 6 April 2015.

Need a refresher on series one? Watch the recap here

An arson attack lures DCI Mathias back - watch the special episode's trail

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

The Indian Doctor: Fashion in Trefelin

2013-11-04T12:44:36+00:00

Designing costumes for The Indian Doctor has been one of my favourite experiences.

I set the design for series one in the late 50s and early 60s, and kept it much the same for series two and series three, in keeping with the village life.

After all, Trefelin is not strongly influenced by Carnaby Street fashion, as the village shop makes apparent.

City slick: Prodigal son Basil Thomas (William Houston) returns with a taste of the 60s

Though you’ll notice some of the visiting characters, like the Thomas brothers, returning to Trefelin from living in London, clearly have a different style to the others.

With all the characters being such individuals I provide reference pictures sourced from original 1960s photographs to show to the director and producer so we can agree on everyone’s specific requirements.

Ayesha Dharker, who plays Kamini, the doctor's wife, supplies her own saris, which she had made on her visits to India.

Many saris today are of mixed fibres but Ayesha's are made of pure silk and silk chiffon, some with beautiful embroidery, some printed.

Ayesha chooses designs appropriate for the 1960s. The costume team make some of the matching blouses from the same sari fabric.

Ayesha and I discuss before the shoot starts which sari would suit each scene, leaving the less colourful ones for sombre moments in the storyline.

Kamini (Ayesha Dharker) and Dr Prem Sharma (Sanjeev Bhaskar) have more traditional tastes

For sari research I looked at actress Leela Naidu, Maharani Gayatri Devi and Princess Sita Devi of Baroda.

In series three, currently airing on BBC One, Ayesha’s character has been living in South Wales for three years, so it seems fitting that she should have a few Western outfits.

Kamini comes from a wealthy Indian family who has friends in high places.

The influences for her Western outfits are taken from high profile women of the time like Jackie Kennedy and Princess Grace of Monaco.

Sanjeev Bhaskar, who plays Dr Prem Sharma, is dressed in three-piece suits, as befitting a doctor in a 60s practice.

Budgetary constraints prevented us having bespoke suits made for Prem so they’re hired in.

I use companies in Cardiff, Bristol and London to select outfits and accessories that build on the ideas I have.

We’re working with a relatively modest budget, which means I also buy from vintage and charity shops, choosing items I know can be adapted to have a 60s feel.

The character Megan Evans works hard and when not dressed for running the local pub, her clothing reflects her moods.

In this series she is unwell and is often seen doing housework, so her clothes are in keeping with her domestic duties.

Sian Davies, who is played by Erica Eirian, just loves dressing up when she is not keeping shop, as is evident when goes out on a date with farmer Ceri Joseff (Dafydd Hywel).

Sian's favourite outfits include her floral, two-piece, which she wears for lunch on Ceri’s tractor and her yellow costume, for lunch with Basil Thomas (William Houston).

Sian Davies (Erica Eirian) wears her best matching dress and jacket to lunch with Basil

My team and I work together on a costume truck, where we keep all the stock, dress extras, do all the washing, ironing, sewing and paperwork.

It’s all pretty compact, which adds to the fun.

And I don’t think anyone thinks it’s glamorous, especially when we are parked in a farmyard next to the silage store!

Early mornings are often very hectic, as there’s so much to do, dressing all the artists and extras, checking continuity to ensure everyone’s dressed exactly as they were in their previous scene, as programmes are not all shot in the sequence you see on screen.

We have to remember to be very practical in the mornings as well, ensuring we have everything packed to go on set, including hot water bottles, brollies and warm coats to keep everyone happy.

There’s very little time to snatch a breakfast roll, that’s for sure.

There can also be many heart-stopping moments, such as when a pair of trousers splits during a take, or when a coffee gets spilled onto costumes - or just when continuity items go missing!

The hours in costume are long, but the preparation and hard work of all the team is rewarded when we know our artists, director and producer are happy and of course when we get lovely feedback from viewers.

Jilly Thornley is the costume designer for The Indian Doctor.

The Indian Doctor is on daily from Monday, 4 November to Friday, 8 November at 2.15pm on BBC One and BBC One HD. For further programme times please see the episode guide.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

BBC Cardiff Singer Of The World: Opera's next generation

2013-06-17T07:02:18+00:00

A towelling bathrobe nearly brought an early end to my time as presenter of BBC Cardiff Singer of the World.

An enthusiastic young producer had decided we needed to know how the competitors relaxed ahead of their moment in the spotlight.

A new hotel had just opened in Cardiff Bay, boasting the city’s first spa facility (this was 1999). So we presented a programme of highlights from there, with me introducing arias while lying robed on a deck-chair, fake red cocktail rakishly positioned to my side.

A colleague interviewed the singers as they were pummelled on a massage table. Not quite how we would style it today.

There are better ways, I have subsequently learned, to get to know the competitors.

The 20 singers that come to Cardiff are at the top of their games, brilliantly talented performers in their late 20s and early 30s, just on the edge of breaking onto the international opera circuit.

The final 20 competitors were chosen from over 400 singers

Winning or even reaching final of Cardiff Singer can be the final push their careers need. My fellow presenters and I try to engage with them all during our 10 days in Cardiff.

Some are keen to talk, wanting to know about camera angles, audience figures, checking they will be able to have a DVD of their appearance to send to agents and promoters.

A few singers will express surprise at having been selected, others will be brazenly confident, making it clear they have to come to win – nothing else is of interest.

Some will happily navigate their way around central Cardiff alone, striding between hotel, Wales Millennium Centre (rehearsals), Dora Stoutzker Hall (Song Prize) and St David’s Hall.

Others wait for guidance, keeping heads low until interpreters and helpers come to the rescue.

The distinguished list of past winners – including Anja Harteros, Nicole Cabell, Karita Mattila, Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Katarina Karnéus - creates a sense of respect around Cardiff Singer.

In 1983 Finland’s Karita Mattila won the very first Cardiff Singer Of The World

You sense that from the nervous energy at the welcome reception as the singers share stories of long journeys and forgotten phone chargers.

Rehearsals start the next day – with just minutes to establish the vital relationship with conductor. Then it’s heads down to work.

The next time I see them is in the make-up room on the fourth floor of St David’s Hall.

You need hairspray? Outside please – the chemicals it contains can play havoc with a singer’s vocal chords.

‘You’re always looking for voices that give you that tingle’

The tannoy crackles – Miss or Mr XX to the stage.

Little over 15 minutes to entertain the enthusiastic, warm Cardiff audience and win over the highly experienced, all-knowing jury.

Quarter of an hour which can help launch a career.

Watching this rich showcase of opera’s next generation is never short of thrilling. Forget the bathrobes and the health spa – the Cardiff singers represent dramatic television at its best.

Petroc Trelawny will present the extensive coverage of BBC Cardiff Singer Of The World. He has hosted the event on TV since 1999.

BBC Cardiff Singer Of The World begins with Celebrating 30 Years at 7.30pm on Monday, 17 June on BBC Four and BBC Two Wales. For further details of television and radio programme times please see the episode guide. Full performance order details can be found in the 2013 schedule.

More on BBC Cardiff Singer Of The World
About The BBC blog: Marking 30 years of BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2013

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

The Call Centre: My initiation

2013-06-04T07:25:46+00:00

When I got the job as a runner on The Call Centre, an observational documentary series set in a Swansea call centre, I admit I had mixed feelings.

Like most people, I had preconceptions about call centres and the type of people who work there.

I envisaged a sterile, soulless place full of disillusioned, miserable, failed young people. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Meet Nev Wilshire and his staff of extraordinary characters behind the phone lines

Walking in to the call centre on my first day, I was overwhelmed by the volume of people I was introduced to and the constant noise of people on phones, managers shouting instructions and radios blaring.

It was part of my job to get to know the staff and to gain their trust. After all, we were a huge intrusion into their lives.

Radios were a particular issue for us when we were filming on the sales floor.

Music is an integral part of staff motivation and you can often hear agents singing along or dancing.

Happy people sell: Each new recruit has to sing along with Nev

Without music, the atmosphere on the floor dies and so does the drive to sell.

Unfortunately it was the duty of the runners to turn the radios off when there was filming in the vicinity - much to the disgust of some of the team leaders and agents.

It surprised me to find that very few people were unhappy working at the call centre.

Managers worked at keeping their workforce motivated by organising social events, charity days and numerous other incentives.

Nev - the CEO of the company - even went as far as to instigate a game of egg roulette and a bean eating competition to determine the winner of a sales battle, which incidentally happens to be one of my filming highlights.

Nev calls a duel between managers Twe and Palmer to find out who is the winner once and for all

I've never been in an environment where the CEO of the company knows most of the staff by name and gets so involved in their working and personal lives to ensure they perform.

His eccentric ways even extended to the production crew, who after months of filming, felt like part of the family.

I, as well as the other runners and even the producers were often subjected to his maverick ways.

Nev sums up his management style: 'Probably Napoleon. Dictator, but his troops loved him'

On one occasion when I took Nev a cup of tea, after thanking me profusely, he jumped on his desk and screamed "GET OUT OF MY OFFICE, NOW!!!" - in full view of a floor of laughing sales agents.

I was embarrassed, but it was something we witnessed and filmed him doing on a regular basis to the staff and it was eventually seen as an initiation ritual amongst the crew.

The Call Centre was a production like no other that I have worked on. I spent the majority of the time in fits of giggles. It has changed my opinion of call centres.

This one nurtures and cares for hardworking people who face constant abuse from the public, and it will definitely make me think twice about the person on the other end of the line the next time I get a call.

Angharad Evans is a runner on The Call Centre.

The Call Centre begins on Tuesday, 4 June at 9pm on BBC Three. For further programme times, please see the episode guide.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

Our Food: Exploring Britain's colourful history

2012-04-04T11:00:33+00:00

Our Food is a celebration of the nation's food - its origins, its tastes and the story it can tell us about our island's history.

I'm passionate about food and where it comes from.

At home I try and grow as many fruits and vegetables as the garden and greenhouse will allow and firmly believe the love and care put into the growing of food comes out in the flavour.

For me Our Food was an opportunity to extend that passion nationally and to explore the story of my favourite food and the people responsible for its production across Britain.

Alex Langlands meets Gwyn Thomas and his mountain sheep

You might think that as an archaeologist there isn't much call for my services in the food industry, but you'd be wrong.

Archaeologists - especially on TV - have been guilty of portraying archaeology in too narrow a light.

Over the last decade or so it has moved on as a discipline and has become so much more than a few trenches, some broken pottery and a handful of dusty old bones.

Archaeology is all about the material world around us and how to read that world.

Our own lives leave in their wake an archaeology of sorts, and even the most contemporary of industries leaves behind an archaeological record that can be studied in its own right.

The structured landscape of the world around us and the built environment are archaeological resources that can tell us a huge amount about ourselves.

For example I was amazed to discover in Scotland just how big the herring industry had been and how crucial to its growth the railways were.

The smokehouses of Mallaig, the dry stone walls of the Welsh valleys and the ancient field systems of Norfolk (all of which feature in the series) are all archaeological remnants of food-producing industries that have come to define these places and the people that occupy them.

What's more, before the Industrial Revolution the overwhelming majority of people in this country worked in a rural setting where their lives were intimately bound up with the production of one thing - food. So as an archaeologist you're never far from studying that which we have eaten and its centrality to our island's history.

In episode two, I got the opportunity to explore sheep farming in the mountains and valleys of Wales.

It's a way of life that really appeals to me. My host Gwyn was a true inspiration and I can honestly say that after a day striding around the valley I didn't want to leave.

Carving out a living in this harsh environment is all about working with the conditions - not against them - and the idea that sheep can be 'hefted' to the hills fascinates me.

A 'hefted' flock is a flock that knows their patch of the hillside and knows where to be and when. So much so that when the farmer comes to round them up all he needs is a dog and a whistle and the ancient knowledge passed down from generation to generation of sheep kicks in.

The flock slowly make their way, without the encouragement of a quad bike or the constraints of barbed wire, to a convenient place on the mountainside where they can be counted and checked - magic and timeless.

Alex visits Norfolk in episode two to examine the impact of the turnip

You'll see in episode one that I've always struggled to enthuse people about the turnip and just how important it has been to British farming.

So when I was asked to travel to Norfolk and explore the history of this humble vegetable and the role it still plays in agriculture, I was delighted.

This was a chance, once and for all, to spell out just how key it was to arable and livestock farming.

Turnips were introduced into crop rotations in the 18th Century to improve fertility in the soil, break the cycle of pests and disease and to support greater numbers of livestock.

The results of its introduction can hardly be understated and there's little doubt that without this simple root vegetable farming would never have been able to support the huge population growth of the 19th Century.

It was in Norfolk that it was really brought home to me just how important food is.

Its production and consumption permeate almost every aspect of our lives and its story can tell us so very much more than we think about Britain's colourful and extraordinary history.

Alex Langlands is one of the presenters of Our Food.

Our Food begins on Wednesday, 4 April at 8pm on BBC Two and BBC HD (except for analogue viewers in Northern Ireland and Wales). The series will be available to watch in iPlayer until Wednesday, 2 May. For more information about analogue television and the digital switchover please visit Help Receiving TV and Radio.

For further programme times, please see the episode guide.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.