Wales Feed

What's dark, mysterious and thrilling at Christmas?

2015-12-23T11:47:52+00:00

Dark. Mysterious. Thrilling. Three adjectives that not only describe the new series of BBC Wales’ crime drama Hinterland, but an accurate description of being on the streets of Cardiff city centre at three in the morning, a few days before Christmas. It’s cold, it’s dark and the rain is threatening as we set up a stunt to draw attention to the Welsh noir.

Setting up the Hinterland 'bus in bag' stunt in the early hours

So what exactly were we doing?

We wanted to do something big. Something that would grab people’s attention in our effort to get as much publicity as possible for the second series of Hinterland, which is set in Aberystwyth, starring Poldark’s Richard Harrington as DCI Mathias.

There are so many brands competing at this time of year for consumers’ attention and it’s no different for broadcasters. BBC Wales has superb dramas on TV over Christmas and we wanted to go beyond traditional promotion, take it a step further and get people talking.

We threw around ideas about recreating crime scenes to give people a mysterious experience before deciding on evidence bags. But what could we put in an evidence bag- a building? The detective’s caravan? Driving back from a meeting in rush hour traffic, the answer was staring us in the face. The crime scene in the first episode of series two is a bus.

With only three weeks to turn it around, we set about making our ambition a reality: to build a huge plastic evidence bag to fit over a bus, on location and to appear by the time the first shoppers were out on the city streets. And there were plenty of hurdles to overcome, from changes in location and fighting with the elements to breakages. But the result was amazing, and by 7am on the morning of 21 December, 2015, bemused shoppers were beginning to take photos of the bus in a bag.

And it was the real thing. This was the actual bus that used in the production as well as helping people travel to, from and around Ceredigion for the remainder of the year.

It was a very large clue leading to Hinterland, which will be on BBC One Wales in four parts from Wednesday 23 December at 9.30 and on BBC iPlayer.

With a future and a past to create, Doctor Who thrives in South Wales

2015-10-13T11:37:17+00:00

Doctor Who producer Derek Ritchie explains the challenges and successes of shooting the new series.

The joy of working on Doctor Who is that every story brings unique creative challenges with it that you wouldn’t find anywhere else, and which that very talented behind-the-scenes team are always willing to meet! So it was with delight we plunged (pardon the pun) into the realising of an underwater world for the spooky two-parter Under the Lake / Before the Flood, written by Being Human scribe and Doctor Who stalwart Toby Whithouse. And where else would you want to film an underwater world? Well, in Cardiff Bay, obviously!

Scene from Series 9, Episode 5: The Girl Who Died

Okay, so we weren’t filming in the actual bay, but at Roath Lock Studios where we decided to build the base – The Drum – in all of its glory. We had several sets, the centrepiece of which was the huge Hangar which housed the sinister spaceship dredged up from the depths of the lake, and which at one end we placed the all-important Control Room. Putting these two sets together meant we made the most of our Hangar, as shooting towards the windows in the Control Room meant shooting the full depth of that impressive space. And in the middle of that set was the spaceship itself…

Early on director Daniel O’Hara, designer Michael Pickwoad and myself decided that building the spaceship in full was a sensible approach – it had a huge role to play in the story, had to be fully interactive, and be used both in studio and on location. In addition, having an actual object to light, to dress, and to augment with SFX such as steam and water, gave it a much more real texture than we might have achieved purely with CGI.

We used surprisingly few water elements on the base set. Ingenious effects from the seasoned Doctor Who lighting team proved incredibly effective, and DoP Richard Stoddard found inventive ways to include that sense of water moving and reflecting throughout all of the sets - such as using ‘skylights’ in the corridors to create shimmering pools of watery light. This naturalistic approach worked well in the context of what we were making – a classic ghost story given the unique Doctor Who twist!

Although most of the haunting took place on the base itself, the story ultimately moves back in time to before the base existed, when the submerged town was a much drier military training base in the north of Scotland in 1980. But where would we go to film a military training base in South Wales? Well how about the military training base at Caerwent?! Frequently used for filming, this proved to be an ideal location – easily adapted for our needs, with superb infrastructure. All we were missing was a dam and some mountains, which some post-production trickery from Milk (VFX) and Gareth Spensley (colourist at Molinaire) deftly added. And there we had it – a fake Russian town in the Scottish Highlands in 1980! With a spooky spaceship parked slap-bang in the middle!

Doctor Who is without a doubt, the most challenging and rewarding of productions. But what really makes bringing to life the endlessly disparate and surprising worlds of the series a real pleasure, is the hugely talented and passionate crew that work on the show, and who through Doctor Who have put Wales on the map as a place where the highest quality television and film can be very successfully produced.

Doctor Who, Saturday 17 October, BBC One

A masterclass in the art of living

2015-07-21T14:13:05+00:00

Rowena Kincaid

Ladies and Gentlemen, tonight Before I Kick The Bucket goes to air. I can’t believe I just wrote that. It’s my first television documentary and I’m pinching myself repeatedly to double-check I’m not dreaming. Ouch. Ouch.

It seems like only yesterday that I first met Rowena Kincaid, the indomitable heroine and presenter of the programme. It was late last summer and I’d been asked to meet her in a pub. I knew nothing more than that she was terminally ill and had an idea for a television programme. I stirred my drink anxiously and eyeballed the clientele. Which one of these people looked the most ill?

Imagine my shock when Rowena introduced herself. The healthiest and happiest looking girl at the bar was, she told me, gravely ill. She told me her story. It was one of bad luck and heartache, punctuated with blue jokes that caught me off guard. Diagnosed with incurable breast cancer, she was now living in a state of limbo. Unsure what to do with what little time remained, she’d had the idea of making a documentary about bucket lists. I liked this girl. She was fearless and funny.

How everything unfolded, I’m not entirely sure. Within days Rowena had charmed BBC Wales into commissioning her idea and strong-armed me into making it with her. Fast forward 12 months and I’m still hanging onto her coat-tails. I’m franticly typing out this blog whilst Rowena prepares for her final day of press to publicise the programme. I’m pinching myself again.

Rowena with 'Before I Kick the Bucket' producer Huw Crowley

It would be a lie to say the process has been easy. Documentary-making is hard at the best of times, let alone when the crew comprises of a first-time filmmaker and a presenter being kept alive by chemotherapy. Health concerns have been real and disruptive and it’s been a struggle to helplessly watch a dear friend ride the roller coaster of cancer. Yet in truth, this project has been a privilege and pleasure to work on. Over the last few months I have witnessed humour, grace and dignity in the face of adversity. I have seen a human spirit that refuses to submit. Rowena, getting to know you has been a joy. I’m so proud to call you a friend.

Rowena Kincaid’s Before I Kick The Bucket is so much more than a film about dying. It’s a masterclass in the art of living. It is funny and frank and frighteningly brave. Rowena, you are an example to us all.

Before I Kick the Bucket, Tuesday, July 21, BBC One Wales, 10.40pm
bbc.co.uk/iplayer

Securing the Six Nations

2015-07-09T14:00:00+00:00

Scroll down for Welsh

I know Welsh rugby supporters in Wales have been waiting for some time. So it’s fantastic to share the news at long last. It’s simple really. All of Wales’ Six Nations matches will remain available to everybody, free-to-air, for the next six years - thanks to a new broadcast partnership between the BBC and ITV.

What does this mean for fans in Wales? Well, every home match at the Millennium Stadium will be live and exclusive on the BBC and S4C, as well as Wales’ away games in Edinburgh and Paris. ITV will show live action for all England, Ireland and Italy home matches. Both broadcasters will also be able to show highlights of every match in the tournament.

I know the RBS 6 Nations Championship has a unique place in the hearts of Welsh rugby fans – and it’s why we’ve gone the extra mile to secure this new deal. More than a million people in Wales tuned into the opening Wales v England match earlier this year. And with Wales’ home matches topping the most-watched programme chart in Wales for the past three years, I’m thrilled these great sporting moments will remain on the BBC.

The new deal will begin immediately next season and run until Spring 2021.

The television and online rights to the RBS 6 Nations will be shared between the BBC and ITV while the radio rights – including live coverage on BBC Radio Wales and Radio Cymru – will stay with the BBC.

It’s a deal that means that the magic of Welsh rugby will remain within everyone’s reach – and not just those that can afford TV subscriptions. And, of course, it means that viewers can continue to enjoy the BBC’s unbeatable rugby coverage.

It’s no secret that the BBC is facing real funding challenges but we know what this competition means to audiences across Wales, and I’m delighted we were able to work with ITV to put together a deal that put audiences first.

Sure, there may be a few eyebrows raised at this partnership. It’s one that might have been considered unlikely in the past. But I believe it’s the right deal. The right deal for Wales, for Welsh rugby and for viewers. A win-win-win.

Cadw'r Chwe Gwlad

Rwy’n gwybod bod cefnogwyr rygbi yng Nghymru wedi bod yn aros am beth amser. Felly mae’n wych i rannu’r newyddion o’r diwedd. Mae’n syml mewn gwirionedd. Bydd pob un o gemau Cymru yn y Chwe Gwlad yn parhau i fod ar gael i bawb, am ddim, am y chwe blynedd nesaf - diolch i bartneriaeth ddarlledu newydd rhwng y BBC ac ITV.

Beth mae hyn yn ei olygu i gefnogwyr yng Nghymru? Wel, bydd pob gêm gartref yn Stadiwm y Mileniwm yn fyw ac yn ecsgliwsif ar y BBC ac S4C, yn ogystal â gemau Cymru oddi cartref yng Nghaeredin a Pharis. Bydd ITV yn dangos holl gemau cartref Lloegr, Iwerddon a’r Eidal yn fyw. Bydd y ddau ddarlledwr hefyd yn gallu dangos uchafbwyntiau pob gêm yn y bencapwriaeth.

Dwi’n gwybod bod gan Bencampwriaeth 6 Gwlad RBS le unigryw yng nghalonnau cefnogwyr rygbi Cymru - a dyna pam ein bod wedi gwneud ein gorau i sicrhau’r cytundeb newydd hwn. Fe wyliodd dros filiwn o bobl yng Nghymru gêm agoriadol Cymru yn erbyn Lloegr yn gynharach eleni. A gyda gemau cartref Cymru ar frig y siart gwylio rhaglenni yng Nghymru am y tair blynedd diwethaf, dwi wrth fy modd fod yr eiliadau mawr hyn yn y byd chwaraeon yn aros ar y BBC.

Bydd y cytundeb newydd yn dechrau’n syth y tymor nesaf ac yn rhedeg tan y Gwanwyn 2021. Bydd yr hawliau teledu ac ar-lein i 6 Gwlad RBS yn cael eu rhannu rhwng y BBC ac ITV tra bydd yr hawliau radio - gan gynnwys darllediadau byw ar BBC Radio Cymru a Radio Wales - yn aros gyda’r BBC.

Mae’n gytundeb sy’n golygu y bydd hud rygbi Cymru yn parhau i fod o fewn cyrraedd pawb - ac nid dim ond i’r rhai sy’n gallu fforddio tanysgrifiadau teledu. Ac, wrth gwrs, mae’n golygu y gall gwylwyr barhau i fwynhau darllediadau rygbi diguro’r BBC.

Nid yw’n gyfrinach bod y BBC yn wynebu heriau cyllid go iawn, ond rydym yn gwybod beth mae’r gystadleuaeth hon yn ei olygu i gynulleidfaoedd ledled Cymru, ac rwy wrth fy modd ein bod wedi gallu gweithio gydag ITV i lunio cytundeb sy’n rhoi cynulleidfaoedd yn gyntaf.

Mae’n siwr y bydd y bartneriaeth hon yn un annisgwyl i rai pobl. Mae’n un y byddai wedi cael ei hystyried yn annhebygol yn y gorffennol. Ond rwy’n credu mai hon yw’r fargen orau. Y cytundeb iawn i Gymru, i rygbi Cymru ac i wylwyr. Mae pawb ar eu hennill.

Filming undercover for Week In Week Out

2015-06-09T09:40:56+00:00

As a new series of Week In Week Out returns to BBC One Wales on Tuesday, June 9 at 10.35pm, series producer Jayne Morgan talks about filming undercover and the relentless chase for facts.

Filming Undercover Bride for Week In Week Out

It usually starts with a phone call and can lead you to places you never imagined you’d end up.

In my 25 years at BBC Wales, the Week In Week Out team has exposed miscarriages of justice and failings in the child protection system. We’ve gone undercover to catch paedophiles preying on children online, exposed fake cancer cures, scandals in residential homes, and we’ve travelled to the Philippines to investigate the trade in live organ donation. We’ve highlighted the neglect and abuse of older people in care homes and we almost bought a husband for £3,000 in an investigation into sham marriages.

We’ve also gone undercover to film the activities of far-right supporters - and most recently the team went undercover to expose attempts to radicalise young Muslims in Cardiff. The group radicalising young people we investigated was subsequently banned by the Home Office and are currently the subject of a police investigation. We were way ahead of the current warnings about radicalisation and we proved it was happening on our doorsteps in Cardiff well before three men left to join ISIS.

But one of the biggest undercover stories we’ve done was the University of Wales. The 120-year-old institution was, in effect, abolished after the programme exposed a visa scam.

Investigative journalism is hard – no subject should be off limits and no one’s immune to questions, but persuading someone to talk to you about things that others want to keep quiet is quite an art.

Often, we’ll get a snippet of information – we’ll spot a statistic or a fact and start to ask further questions about how and why. Very often the real story lies behind a headline. Experience will tell you how and where to ask – but we are so lucky in Wales – most people have a story and don’t mind telling it.

Week In Week Out has tackled some of the toughest issues and at the heart of every investigation is a human story. We spent a year filming with the Warner family from Perthcelyn, having filmed with them ten years before. They let us in and then let us film with them again. It created a huge debate about how we should be tackling child poverty in Wales. It had a big audience but more importantly it shone a light government policies which had done nothing to alter the prospects of the next generation of Warners.

When someone calls us to ask for our help, it’s often at the worst time in their lives. Very often they will call us because all else has failed.

Gaining their trust and convincing them that it’s the right thing to do can take time – but most people we work with on stories can see how sharing their experiences can, and very often does, bring about a change.
Sometimes, the only way to get the evidence we need to substantiate an allegation is to go undercover. This sounds glamorous, but it’s not. We’ve done it in the back of vans and in a range of weird and wonderful locations - perhaps the strangest was in an abattoir for one programme. So no, definitely no glamour involved.

Before going undercover we have to undertake painstaking research to build a body of evidence. Then we go through formal processes in order to get the necessary permission to film covertly. The biggest and constant question we have to ask ourselves is whether it’s in the public interest to do so.

Often the most powerful stories are about things which are in plain sight.

There is nothing more satisfying in this job than getting the evidence you need to make the point – that buzz makes the long hours and the relentless chase for facts all worthwhile. We have a dedicated team of very experienced journalists at Week In Week Out who care so much about the story - they put everything into the job and it’s a privilege to do it.

One of the first things we’re asked by people we meet is “How many famous people have you interviewed?”. The answer is lots. But it’s the extraordinary people we meet who have never been filmed before who stick in the minds - those whose “normal” lives may have been turned upside down by events. And yet they have found the strength to carry on and to tell their stories in the hope of making things better, or easier, for others. They are the ones I remember.

For me, the challenge is always to get our facts right – to be fair, accurate, balanced and never to lose sight of the reason we do this. It should always be about uncovering the truth and making a difference – so that we can tell our audience what’s really happening and why.

Week In Week Out returns to BBC One Wales on Tuesday, June 9 at 10.35pm

How do you encapsulate what's special about an area like north Wales?

2015-06-03T13:46:40+00:00

Adrian Davies, BBC Wales’s Head of English language services, takes time out to give an overview of the Real North Wales season, currently on BBC One Wales and BBC Two Wales.

It would be impossible to encapsulate everything that’s special about an area like north Wales on TV. Not in a single programme, not in a long-running series, or even in a season of programmes. Luckily that’s not what we’re trying to do in the Real North Wales season, which has just started.

What we have done is taken a small selection of stories from around the region and packaged them together in a way that offers viewers just a little glimpse of some themes that, I think, are quite fascinating - and, hopefully, offer a fresh look at life across north Wales.

Before I go on, just look at two stories we’ll be covering. On one hand we’ll be joining boatman Colin Evans on the tip of the Llŷn Peninsula as he takes tourists to Bardsey Island. He says it’s not really a money-making venture, so we’ll get to know a little bit more about what his motivation really is. On the other hand, at the eastern edge of the north, just seconds from the Cheshire border in fact, Carol Vorderman will literally be flying into Broughton - and getting hands-on with the latest in the multi-billion dollar world of cutting-edge aviation. Just an idea of the diverse content to expect…

Sian Lloyd tosses Welsh cakes at a Wrexham bakery

You might already have seen My Real North Wales with Sian Lloyd. Reporter Sian Lloyd grew up in Wrexham and in a 30-minute special, she travelled around north Wales meeting people connected with adventure tourism, country houses and heritage railways, as well the residents of a Caernarfon housing estate and an old friend who makes her favourite Welsh cakes.

Breathtakingly beautiful, the Llŷn Peninsula is one of Wales’s most popular holiday destinations. It’s also a stronghold of Welsh language and culture: tourists flock to find that corner of ‘Welsh’ Wales. But the question that worries a lot of residents is this - can Llŷn still keep its language and culture strong, while keeping a welcome for its visitors? Welsh Heartland - Llŷn Peninsula is four beautiful and thought-provoking programmes following the people of Llŷn from spring to autumn as the seasons come and go.

Next, we join Llanfairfechan farmer Gareth Wyn Jones, who’s already made a name for himself in The Hill Farm and various other programmes, as well as on Twitter. In The Farmer and the Food Chain he’s on a mission to change the way we eat. He thinks the people of Wales have lost touch with where their food comes from, and in three programmes he faces three challenges: setting up a pop-up shop selling local produce in Bangor; getting to grips with the supermarkets and their supply-chains; and finding out how easy it would be to get more public money spent on local food.

The Farmer and the Food Chain - Gareth Wyn Jones finds out about school meals

If you’re looking for a thought-provoking programme, look no further than Make Me Welsh. Following eight children over the course of a school year in Gwynedd would be interesting in itself, I’m sure. However these particular youngsters come from non-Welsh speaking backgrounds and they’ve already started their primary education, so it’s a chance to learn more about the work of the county’s Language Centres, which give non-Welsh-speaking primary school children moving into the area intensive tuition in the language before they can join a mainstream school. Wherever you stand on Welsh-medium education, these stories can certainly be quite emotional.

Carol Vorderman grew up in Prestatyn and Denbigh and went on to get a Cambridge degree in Engineering before recently becoming a qualified pilot. In Carol Vorderman: The Flying Engineer, her first ever programme for BBC Wales, she flies her little plane, called Mildred, into Broughton and joins the top team of engineers there who are building the wings that are helping to make flights quieter, greener and smoother. Carol is well-known for her ability to convey complex matters in a simple way and this is a chance to get to know an aspect of north Wales that doesn’t get as much attention as its castles and mountains.

Further highlights in the season include two programmes looking at the work of the North Wales Police’s rural crime team in Countryside Cops. Laurence’s Extraordinary Ordinary Houses will be aiming to resolve some modern-day design dilemmas in Deganwy and Beaumaris, and Inspired by Snowdonia will look at some of the art that’s been inspired by the area’s amazing landscape. Not forgetting Flint Des Res, following the Flintshire housing team and Liverpool - Capital of North Wales - a programme with a somewhat tongue-in-cheek title that will be looking at the city’s substantial Welsh heritage.

One of the criticisms we sometimes get from some viewers in north Wales is that, on the whole, BBC Wales is Cardiff-biased or south-biased. The Real North Wales season isn’t there to address that - we feel the season stands on its own two feet and, of course, we do our best to reflect the whole of Wales across all our output throughout the year. Even across this season there will be themes, people and stories across north Wales that we’ve undoubtedly missed, but wherever you are in Wales, or even further afield, I hope you’ll find something new - and something that interests you.

To find out more, and catch up with programmes you may have missed, visit: bbc.co.uk/realnorthwales or join the conversation on social media #RealNorthWales.

Real North Wales: A look at the true nature of the community of Pen Llŷn

2015-05-29T07:46:20+00:00

A brand-new four-part series Welsh Heartland: The Llŷn Peninsula will look at the true nature of the community of Pen Llŷn as part of the Real North Wales season from BBC Wales. Here, Dylan Huws of production company Cwmni Da explains the aims of the series.

“We had an open brief and wanted to focus on the Llŷn Peninsula, to offer an insight into how people really live there - not just the scenery, the coastline and beaches but how people live there all year round. We wanted to reveal the Pen Llŷn community as we know it and present this to the world. We’re trying to show the balance between living in a desirable and beautiful area and the pressures of economy, tourism and language.

Margiad Williams, a contributor on the programme

“It was very important to us that we showed reality and that’s why the series is like an observational documentary - we see and recognise people, we then portray them. It’s an opportunity for people to tell their stories and experiences of living in this particular part of Wales. It’s a broad picture of life in Pen Llŷn during a period of four seasons; from the quietest and calmest of times to the hype of summer.

“The best way of achieving this was to get people comfortable in front of a camera, so before starting filming we spent time with them. We had their co-operation and trust and they became accustomed to us. They welcomed us into their homes and workplaces and we’re so grateful to them for this. It’s a unique opportunity to show, as closely as possible, what it is to live here.

“We’re experienced in producing observational documentaries - we produced Pen Llŷn Harri Parri and Michael Sheen's Valleys Rebellion. We talk to real people and reflect their lives; we’re loyal to them and try to convey the truth. It’s our production model, which we’ve nurtured over the years, and on this occasion we invested a whole year following people’s stories in order to truly reflect their lives.

“We didn’t interview the tourists who appear in the series, as such, we eavesdropped on their conversations and perspectives in order to hear from people who live outside Wales. We gave them radio microphones, and placed cameras far away and just allowed them to talk about whatever they wanted.

“People’s stories really stand out. Characters have something to say about how we live; the realities of life and what's important. They discuss social values, community values and cultural values. It’s an opportunity to hear from people who are in touch with Pen Llŷn.

“And people are moving into the area and are drawn to this way of life. Some visitors choose to learn more about this way of life, but there’s no denying that the area is under huge external pressures because of the appealing landscape and the values of the people who live here. There’s a danger of it being destroyed, the balance is fragile - the language is holding its own, but under enormous pressure.

“There have been a few programmes over the years about the Llŷn Peninsula, but perhaps they didn’t really know the area. We wanted to show how things really are. Welsh is heard on the programme and there are subtitles; I feel proud doing this with BBC Wales - presenting this linguistic balance - it’s important that we use both languages and create something realistic.”

Welsh Heartland: The Llŷn Peninsula. Monday, June 1, BBC One Wales, 7.30pm.

bbc.co.uk/realnorthwales

BBC Wales News teams take to the road for the general election campaign 2015

2015-04-23T12:40:38+00:00

As the general election campaign enters the final phase BBC Wales News teams have taken to the road… literally.

Lugging a giant inflatable tent around the country to a range of constituencies across the four corners of Wales - we have decided to do our own roadshow and we’ll be visiting six key constituencies across Wales. Why are they key? Because they’re battlegrounds; identified by the political pundits as ‘ones to watch’ and packed-full of canvassers and volunteers all vying for your vote. There are other contenders, of course and we’ll be bringing you all the latest from Ynys Môn, Cardiff North, Llanelli, Brecon and Radnorshire and others as events unfold.

Take a behind-the-scenes look at BBC Wales’s general election tour

So as well as being buttonholed by politicians desperately wanting to get your vote you may also find yourself buttonholed by a BBC Wales journalist equally desperate to get your views on the general election.

Our programmes including Wales Today, Newyddion 9, Radio Wales, Radio Cymru and our online and social media services in English and Welsh are all going to be on the tour and we want to know what you think, and what you want from your politicians.

What is on your mind? Does this election feel like a sea change in UK politics or do you feel untouched by the process?

This is your chance to get involved.

We have already been to Barry and Carmarthen. The next stop is Tregaron. Week two sees the tent turn up at Connah's Quay, Llandudno and finally Cardiff in time for the BBC One Wales leaders debate on Friday, May 1, at the Sherman Theatre. And while the tent makes its slow journey from one location to another, we’ll be taking the opportunity to feature other areas across Wales.

We are doing this because in one of the most unpredictable general elections in living memory, we think it's important that you - the voters - have all the information you need to make informed decisions and are given the chance to have your views heard.

And, if you can’t join us on the tour, there’s plenty more campaign coverage to choose from, led by BBC Wales’s team of presenters and political experts, Dewi Llwyd, Bethan Rhys Roberts, Nick Servini, Aled ap Dafydd, Vaughan Roderick and David Cornock. Add in plenty of expert analysis from specialist correspondents from across Wales, including Steffan Messenger, putting younger voters at the heart of his reporting throughout the campaign.

Reporting and analysis of the campaign is underpinned by a comprehensive digital service, offering individual pages covering stories and candidate information from all of the Welsh constituencies.

A few election facts

Turnout at the 2010 general election in Wales was around 64.7%, slightly lower than the UK-wide figure of 65.1%
That was the first time in the post-war era that Wales had had a lower turnout than the UK as a whole
Turnout generally is considerably lower than the peaks of the 1950s
While the decision to vote is of course a personal one, our hope is that our election coverage will help you understand the issues

Tent facts

Our election tent is 10m x 10m and is inflated by two cold air fan blowers
It takes around an hour to lay out ready, then four minutes to fully inflate
It needs 60 x 20kg ballast bags to keep it safely anchored
We'll cover 457 miles as we take it around Wales

I hope you get the chance to visit the tent at one of the named locations and take the opportunity to get involved, I also hope you are able to listen, to watch or to read our coverage.

I'm a big believer that food and family should be at the centre of everyone's upbringing

2015-03-20T12:18:23+00:00

My career originated in PR so it was overwhelming when I was asked to move from behind the camera to in front of the camera - I was used to directing shoots and events, not being in the limelight myself! However, I am hugely passionate about what I'm doing right now; I'm a big believer that food and family should be at the centre of everyone's upbringing - even if family isn’t your immediate blood relatives. Everyone should be surrounded by people they love and support. It's what makes the world a happy place, in my opinion!

So doing what I do now - promoting simple food, family and community is very exciting for me. It all started with a series on C4 and our family cook book which I wrote with my sisters. Now my sisters and I are working with Jamie Oliver on YouTube, uploading free simple recipes for all to enjoy while also talking about baby weaning and feeding a family.

Michela and her sisters enjoy a picnic in the Italian sunshine

And now here I am presenting a documentary called The Welsh Italians about the Welsh Italian community for BBC Wales. This is a community I grew up in, in the Welsh Valleys. It's still vibrant and full of life today and again centres around food and family.

It's not always easy to get people to come on camera - us Italians are often big personalities, however we do like to keep things private too! After some gentle persuasion, I have managed to get some great stories and secrets revealed in this two-part series. It shows how happy and settled the Italians were made to feel by the local Welsh communities, and how each have become intricately linked. You won't believe how many Welsh accents you hear during August in the little town of Bardi in the hills of northern Italy!

Episode 1 of The Welsh Italians is at 6.30pm on Sunday 23 March, BBC One Wales.

X-Ray investigates ‘the crammed commute' from the valleys

2015-03-18T13:12:53+00:00

There are a lot of people living in the south Wales valleys who work in Cardiff. Many don’t have a choice - it’s just where the jobs are. And that means a daily commute back and forth to the capital.

The quality of that commute can have a big impact. If it’s a stress-free, enjoyable experience, you arrive in work on time and all set for the day ahead. And if it’s not? Well X-Ray has been hearing stories of some terrible train journeys, that have been causing big problems for some of our viewers.

Lucy on location at Pontypridd as she investigates the performance of train services in the south Wales valleys

If you look at the official figures, Arriva Trains Wales is doing a great job. But passenger satisfaction with punctuality and reliability is falling. And the main problem – you just can’t get a seat.

So for the programme we asked regular travellers to record their experiences of their daily commute. We’ve heard stories of rush hour trains crammed tight with people, with sometimes not enough room for people even to get on.

Lots of the people X-Ray talked to said they are just fed-up with being forced to endure what they feel is a sub-standard service.

So what are Arriva Trains Wales doing about it? Well their Customer Services Director Lynne Milligan agreed to an interview with X-Ray. I couldn’t wait to ask her why it was just so hard to get a seat on a train? Surely that’s not much for regular rail users to expect? Couldn’t they just put on an extra carriage at busy times?

I wasn’t expecting her answer. Lynne told me there are no more carriages across the network available, so they simply can’t increase capacity. So, it’s just tough luck for travellers? Pretty much. And what about delays and cancellations? Well Lynne seemed pretty happy with their record.

So if you’re a regular commuter, it looks like this is how it’s going to be until at more carriages become available – around 2017 according to Ms Milligan. If you’re stuck on a packed train that’s going to seem like a long, long time ahead.

If you need X-Ray’s help, get in touch on 0370 3334334 or email xray@bbc.co.uk. This week's programme is on BBC One Wales, Friday 20 March at 7.30pm or catch us on iplayer, and you can tweet us via @BBCXray or @lucyowenwales.

Can't Read, Can't Do My Sums!

2015-03-17T13:28:37+00:00

A question for you… Is it possible for someone who’s gone through the Welsh education system to be unable to tell the time?

It’s a skill I’m working on with my 6 year old. We’ve not got to grips with the concept of how many minutes ‘to the hour’, but he can read an analogue clock and write down the numerical representation. I am playing quite an active role as a parent and am fortunate to consider myself confident when it comes to numbers. But even for those children without pro-active family members to help-out, surely after 10 plus years at school they should be able to tell the time?

WIWO presenter Rachel Treadaway-Williams helps her 6 year old with his homework

Not so for Nick Bush from New Tredegar. 23 years old and totally dependent on his friends to decipher a train timetable. Nick attended school, but when it comes to his mathematical ability he’s not the exception. More than half of the Welsh adult population have maths skills of an average 11 year old or lower.

It’s this void in basic skills that’s been Wales’ undoing in the educational PISA tests and rather than improve, we’ve slipped down the rankings following successive assessments. It was this political bombshell that prompted amongst other changes the introduction of the Literacy & Numeracy Framework (LNF). This was hailed as THE solution to our literacy & numeracy woes but on talking to those who are actually responsible for delivering it - teachers - the way it was implemented does not appear to have been A*. Rather it was landed on an already overloaded workforce without enough support, a viewpoint reflected by Estyn following their early evaluation of the LNF published in January 2015. Also a viewpoint neatly illustrated by Clair Sweet, the Maths lead, at Tylorstown Primary School who told me that the Welsh Government had only just posted examples on their Learning Wales website of how teachers might make it work in practice. This was in February 2015. The Literacy & Numeracy was made statutory for schools in September 2013. You do the maths.

Interestingly when I questioned the Minister for Education, Huw Lewis AM, about this very fact, he claimed to know nothing of it, instead wanting to flag up the NEW online work that his department were engaged in.

Clair Sweet at Tylorstown Primary also made another interesting point. She felt that the principle of embedding literacy and numeracy skills in all teaching was a good one, but didn’t feel the need for yet another formal initiative with all its red tape and paperwork. Instead, she felt it was something that good teachers would have been doing anyway. Which raises another point: are we fussy enough about who is teaching our children? I have to be careful what I say here as the daughter of two teachers; so let me re-phrase that. Is the teaching profession regarded highly enough that it attracts the best calibre candidates? In the educational powerhouse of China the President recently urged that teaching become the most respected job in the country.

It’s clearly a topic that’s been on the Education Minister’s mind and he’s welcomed the various expert reports recently published calling for a boost in the status, autonomy, qualifications and professional development of teachers. He’s recently raised the GCSE entry requirement in Maths & English for Primary School teachers from 2C’s to 2B’s. He told me we can’t just magic up mathematics specialists but on the other hand, I wonder, could he not be moving further and faster to raise this particular bar and send out a message that we now want the best to be our teachers?

Week In Week Out: Can't Read, Can't Do My Sums! is on BBC One Wales, Tuesday 17 March at 10.40pm.

X-Ray's hunt for Buddy the Beagle

2015-03-02T12:19:53+00:00

This week’s X-Ray is going to be heart-wrenching for anyone who loves dogs. Having to part with a much loved family pet, even if you feel it’s the best for your animal, must be one of the hardest decisions to make.

Talking to Tracy Evans at her home in Llansteffan, it was clear that it had been a very upsetting time. And if giving up her pet wasn’t hard enough, what happened next made it even worse.

Buddy the Beagle

Buddy had been in the family since he was 8 weeks old. But two years on, Tracy felt they couldn’t look after him properly any more. She thought she’d found him a new loving home, through an advert online.

But after handing over Buddy, she immediately suspected something was wrong. And just hours later, an advert appeared online from the same computer used to offer Buddy that perfect home, now offering a beagle for sale. Despite trying for more than a year, Tracy still hasn’t been able to find Buddy. She turned to X-Ray in desperation.

Most animal lovers would find it hard to imagine, but the RSPCA is concerned about how some people are exploiting online ‘wanted’ or ‘for sale’ ads. There’s no guarantee these animals won’t be sold on for a big profit and end up somewhere where they may not be looked after properly. The RSPCA wants a change in the current law, to cover the trade online.

I really wanted a happy ending to this story. I hoped we’d be able to track down Buddy, that we’d find him alive, well and healthy in a happy home. I wanted Tracy and her family to be able to see him again, for them to be able to stop worrying, to stop dwelling on possible dreadful scenarios, to stop blaming themselves.

The X-Ray crew on the scent in the hunt for Buddy

Early one morning, the X-Ray team went to the one address near Llanelli where we thought Buddy could be. We wanted answers. We wanted to find Buddy. Driving down a single track lane through the mist, the crew and I were all silently hoping we could bring this to an end. We pulled up outside. We did not get a warm welcome.

Find out what happened on tonight's programme, 7.30pm Monday 2 March 2015, BBC One Wales.

If you need X-Ray’s help, get in touch on 0370 3334334 or email xray@bbc.co.uk. We’re on Mondays 7.30pm BBC One Wales or catch us on iplayer, and you can tweet us via @BBCXray or @lucyowenwales.

Scammers target ex-miners

2015-02-19T14:24:58+00:00

Our miners have always been like heroes to me. It feels as if those images of them emerging from mines after a day digging for black gold have been engrained since I was young. There’s a sense of national pride in what they did. They’re part of our heritage, our culture, part of the industry which shaped much of south Wales.

Now the pensions that they built through risking their lives every day working underground, are under threat from callous scammers.

After working on X-Ray for more than eight years, I know only too well that these unscrupulous people don’t care who their victims are. They could be elderly, vulnerable, it doesn’t matter. Now it’s our miners who are the latest target.

Lucy talks to Gerry Keighley from Age Cymru on location in Aberdare about the cold callers who are targeting the pensions of former miners

Age Cymru say these people are cold-calling former miners. For £200 they’ll promise to increase their pension through a government scheme. But Age Cymru say it’s all a heartless con to get their cash.

We’ll get the full story on X-Ray on BBC One Wales on Monday 23 February at 7.30pm. But in the meantime, here’s the basic advice.

Never give any information about your pension to people who ring you up out of the blue.
You’ll be able to access your pension fund to invest from April. So watch out for more interest in your pensions from scammers. They could also use it to add credibility to the lie they’re peddling.
Try and stop those cold calls in the first place. The Telephone Preference Service is a free service which enables you to join the official register to opt out of unsolicited calls.

And if you’ve been targeted by this latest scam, let us know. Call X-Ray on 03703 334334 or email xray@bbc.co.uk.

The making of the new series of Coming Home

2014-12-03T09:45:10+00:00

Geoff Evans is producer/director for Coming Home. Here, he talks about the stories behind the new series.

My journey began back in early June 2014. Even before I came on board to make the series, an enormous amount of research had already been conducted by our genealogist Mike Churchill-Jones; the man who discovers all the fantastic stories we tell in the series. He has a sixth sense in knowing where to dig for the stories. Sometimes the stories are so good, I'm sure he's made them up, but the evidence is right there for all to see.

I was really excited about this year's line-up. My first shoot was in July, with the larger-than-life character David Emanuel.

I was just four years old when David hit the big time across the world after designing Princess Diana's wedding dress along with his ex-wife Elizabeth.

His stint in the jungle on ITV's 'I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!', certainly made him more widely known to people of all generations. I can honestly say that David's much-loved performance in the jungle, is exactly how he is in real life. He's friendly,warm and a genuinely nice bloke. He told me that before his stint in the jungle, fans always called him Mr Emanuel; but now he's simply David.

David Emanuel and the Coming Home crew. Geoff Evans is far right.

David's story is focused on his grandfather, John Leslie Emanuel, who died before David was even born. David looks into his grandfather's life and uncovers many great stories. From John's time serving in World War Two, to his stint as a motor racer at Pendine Sands.

However, the story begins with David's great grandfather, who worked as a policeman in Merthyr Tydfil in the 19th century; a tough period in Merthyr's history.

I was lucky enough to meet most of David's siblings and his father John. One of the things I love about making this series is the few special privileges you have along the way. Spending time with David and his family was enjoyable indeed and none of them were camera shy. It must be in the genes!

My next shoot was with a man who millions of people see on their screens at least a few times a week; actor Ian Puleston-Davies, who plays builder Owen Armstrong in Coronation Street. Although I'm not a regular Coronation Street viewer, I soon became very aware of how popular its stars are. Arriving at the hotel the night before filming, Ian's scampi and chips got very cold due to the number of Corrie fans who wanted an autograph or picture with him.

Ian was a real gift to us, because of his unusual name, Puleston. Having a more common name like Jones, Davies or Evans (like myself) can be more difficult to trace back very far, but this name took our genealogist Mike Churchill-Jones on a very exciting journey.

Actor Ian Puleston-Davies searched for his links to Welsh Prince Owain Glyndŵr

Ian's main quest for himself and his family was to answer one question which has circulated around his family for years. Certain family members believe they are descended from the Pulestons of Emral and therefore closely related to 14th century Welsh Prince Owain Glyndŵr! But could this be possible? This question is answered during the programme. Ian explores many other Pulestons in his family and their story begins in north Wales and travels as far as the American Frontier during the American Civil War in the 1860s.

Alex Jones was looking for information to pass on to her grandfather Denzil

My next programme was with one of Britain's most recognisable faces. Alex Jones is on our screens all week and she has got to be one of the hardest-working people in television. After completing her Friday night appearance on The One Show, she travelled all the way back to Ammanford and was ready to film at 9am. Alex grew up in Ammanford, where her family still live. However, her story was focused in and around Llanelli in Carmarthenshire. She had a number of very interesting ancestors from the area. These ancestors include her Johnson side of the family, who were embroiled in a bitter dispute after the death of Mr Johnson's wife. This wasn't your typical courtroom drama.

Alex's main wish for this programme, was to discover more information, which she could pass onto her grandfather Denzil.

Denzil has told Alex many, many stories about his own grandfather Henry, who claimed to be a professional horse jockey and about Henry's connections to a Grand National horse he helped train. This quest provided our genealogist Mike with a number of challenges, but thankfully we were able to answer many of these questions for Alex at Ffos Las race course. At Ffos Las, we were also able to present Alex with something very rare indeed, which she was excited about. I'm doing my best not to give any spoilers, so I'll leave it there.

Sian Lloyd's family history took the production team all over Wales

Our final programme of the year is with a face everyone knows, from her many years of presenting the national weather. Sian Lloyd certainly had the most geographically-challenging programme we've ever made. We travelled from the far north of Anglesey, to Llanberis, through Snowdonia, down to Llandovery and finished the story in Carmarthenshire. As a director, you want to spend as much time on location filming as you can; but having so much travelling to do, you really need to use your filming time very wisely. All that said, because of the richness of our travels, Sian's programme is probably the most visually stunning we've ever made.

A new series of Coming Home starts Friday 5 December on BBC One Wales at 7.30pm

Don’t pay more for your party outfit

2014-12-01T14:48:54+00:00

Are you thinking about splashing out on a new little number for the office Christmas party? Well, it may be Cyber Monday, but before you start shopping, you should check out tonight’s X-Ray to make sure you don’t feel you’ve been stitched up for your sequins.

Lucy Owen

Since it’s the last programme in this series, the X-Ray team are getting all dressed up, ready for our party. We always love a bargain and we always shop around for the best deals.

So you can imagine, we felt we had to investigate when we came across exactly the same outfits – dress, bag and shoes – being sold for very different prices. We were shocked too when we discovered that although they were being sold by under different brands, all those brands were in fact owned by the same parent company.

Why does one company charge different prices for the same product? Is that fair on us consumers? Well, technically, they’re not doing anything wrong. By charging different prices they're able to use different communications to reach different groups of people in order to maximise their sales.

That means it’s down to us to be savvy shoppers. We’ll have advice for you tonight on how you can make sure you’re not caught out.

So, if, like Rachel and me, you end up in the same outfit at the office Christmas party, at least you’ll make sure you’re the one who got the best deal.

We’re back on air in February, but in the meantime the team will still be here to fight for you. Get in touch if there’s anything you’d like us to investigate. Phone 03703 334334 or email xray@bbc.co.uk. You can follow us on Twitter too @BBCXray.

X-Ray is on Monday 1 December at 7.30pm on BBC One Wales.