It was a world premiere like no other. The venue was a miners’ welfare hall in a Welsh valley rather than a smart city theatre and though there was a red carpet, this one was an old-fashioned, patterned version. Refreshments were beer and cones of chips instead of champagne and canapés.
But, undoubtedly, everyone had a glorious time as the latest bilingual Welsh/English drama from the team behind the global smash hit Y Gwyll (Hinterland) was shown for the first time.
Pren ar y Bryn (Tree on a Hill) is a darkly comic tale, a love letter to the stunning landscapes, characterful communities and languages of the Swansea valley. It will be available via the Welsh broadcaster S4C and BBC iPlayer from later this month.
The hope is that it will follow in the footsteps of Hinterland, which was sold to 95 countries across the world, and be a further boost to the growing global reputation of Welsh television drama.
Ed Thomas, creator of Hinterland and Tree on a Hill, said Wales had done well out of “Welsh noir” genre in the past decade, culminating in the S4C Welsh language diamond heist Dal y Mellt (Rough Cut) being picked up by Netflix.
Tree on a Hill is an attempt to expand the repertoire. “When we pitched Hinterland we told S4C that every grownup channel needed a detective series,” said Thomas. “It did well and was a moment for Welsh language drama and Welsh noir took off. The challenge is, can we do other genres that will travel?
“This is mischievous, dark comedy, absurdist with a slightly surreal edge. There’s a crime in this but it’s not a crime story, it’s a story about change, an ordinary couple [carpet salesman Clive Lewis and his wife Margaret] finding themselves in the midst of seismic change.”
The show was filmed in and around the town of Ystradgynlais, 15 miles north of Swansea, where Thomas was brought up and where his father ran the butcher’s shop.
So it made sense to hold the premiere not in Cardiff but in the Ystradgynlais miners’ welfare hall. That old red carpet was a nod to Clive’s job and the beer and chips felt much more in keeping than fancier fare.
The audience included Welsh television executives but also many of the townsfolk who had helped by providing accommodation, sets, and local knowledge – and appeared as extras.
Like Hinterland, Tree on a Hill was shot “back to back” in Cymraeg – Welsh – and English. Despite Netflix picking up Dal y Mellt, Thomas said they needed to film in both languages to attract the investment needed for a high-quality production. “If we did it only in Welsh I doubt we’d get the finance we need.”
It means actors had the challenge of learning two versions of the script. Nia Roberts, who plays Margaret, said: “My trick is to learn it really well in one language before moving on to the next. It’s never a direct translation so you can’t translate as you go along. You can’t busk it.”
Already 2023 has been a strong year for Welsh drama with English language shows such as Steeltown Murders, the story of serial killer Joseph Kappen, and the thriller Wolf winning plaudits.
Gwenllian Gravelle, S4C’s head of scripted, said Tree on a Hill was intended to be an authentic picture of a place not often seen on screen. “It’s an unusual drama, a mysterious comedy drama. We’ve done a lot of crime and Welsh noir but we have to do a variety of things. There’s nothing else like this out there and we hope it will show viewers a part of the world they didn’t know existed.”
The first episode of Pren ar y Bryn will be broadcast on S4C at 9pm on Sunday 19 November and will be available to watch on the on-demand service S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer. The English language version, Tree on a Hill, will air on the BBC in 2024.
