The Newsroom

New look Newyddion

Well, opening titles and theme tune at least (March 2018)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
MA
Markymark
noggin posted:

Prior to the launch of S4C the BBC made and broadcast Welsh language programmes on BBC One and Two in Wales, and so some of these shows - like Pobl y Cwm (which has been on-air since 1974) moved over to S4C when it launched but continued to be made by the BBC (not sure if the BBC were paid for this or if it was seen as a licence-fee responsibility).


I think all BBC produced programming on S4C (I think at the outset of the channel in 1982, it was 10 hours
per week) has always been supplied (to S4C) as free of charge. Also I think ad breaks were not permitted
during BBC programmes on S4C during the IBA's tenure of regulation (still the case I suspect ?)

HTV Wales (now ITV Wales) also removed Welsh language programming when S4C opened, and their Welsh language production depts sold programming to S4C. So in short all BBC and ITV Welsh language programming in Wales has only ever been seen on S4C since Nov 1982 (Though I think BBC 2 in the rest of the UK showed
Pobl y Cwm for a while in the 90s with English subtitles ?)
PE
peterrocket Founding member
itsrobert posted:
No that's not the case at all. During the 1999-2003 period there were dozens of programmes that had David Lowe music:

Network News
News 24
BBC World channel
BBC World News
The World Today
English Regions (1999 and 2002)
Reporting Scotland
Newsline
Wales Today
Budget Day
Hard Talk (the 2000 theme was by DL)
Sport Today (again the 2001 theme was by DL)
Westminster Live
Despatch Box
Breakfast (2000 and 2002)
Business Today
2W News & Sport
September 11th One Year On
BBC Parliament
BBC Local Radio
Newyddion
BBC LDN
Newsbeat
BBC World Service Radio

There are probably even more that I can't remember off the top of my head. The point is that even back then most BBC News programmes received David Lowe music - the difference with today being that each and every one of those was completely original and distinctive. Now all his music sounds essentially the same with minor variations.


Am I imagining it or was there a BBC Choice News Wales theme as well - with a big 'C' as the logo?
IT
itsrobert Founding member
Oh yes you're absolutely right. I'd completely forgotten about that one. But yes, from memory it had a similar style intro to Newyddion but with a big 'C' as the logo, as you say.
RD
RDJ
'Yr Wythnos' as well, which was a weekly bulletin for welsh learners and had its own set of titles with a big 'W' but used the Choice News Wales theme.

DE
DE88
Markymark posted:
Though I think BBC 2 in the rest of the UK showed Pobl y Cwm for a while in the 90s with English subtitles ?


For around three months in 1994, yes.

It wasn't the first time Pobol y Cwm was shown outside Wales - viewers of BBC1 in England could see it during its early years in the late '70s and early '80s, mostly on Tuesday or Friday afternoons - but it was certainly the most notable. Indeed, the Radio Times billing for the first episode shown on BBC2, on Monday 10 January 1994, seems to suggest that the Beeb had fairly high hopes about it catching on in the rest of the UK:

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/8a047d5a6f01428b83f1461d7089e6e1

And if it had, perhaps it would have started being billed under its original name instead of its English one.

Perhaps the great Steve Williams can shed some more light on this... Wink
JA
james-2001
I wonder if it had caught on in the rest of the UK they might have made the show more bi-lingual?
DE
DE88
james-2001 posted:
I wonder if it had caught on in the rest of the UK they might have made the show more bi-lingual?


At the time, PyC did have one English-speaking character - pub landlord Ron Unsworth, played by Bernard Latham.

It's certainly possible that they might have added a bit more Saesneg to the show had it caught on in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland - although that probably would have annoyed many viewers in Gwynedd, Anglesey and Carmarthenshire.
MA
Markymark
DE88 posted:
Markymark posted:
Though I think BBC 2 in the rest of the UK showed Pobl y Cwm for a while in the 90s with English subtitles ?


For around three months in 1994, yes.

It wasn't the first time Pobol y Cwm was shown outside Wales - viewers of BBC1 in England could see it during its early years in the late '70s and early '80s, mostly on Tuesday or Friday afternoons - but it was certainly the most notable. Indeed, the Radio Times billing for the first episode shown on BBC2, on Monday 10 January 1994, seems to suggest that the Beeb had fairly high hopes about it catching on in the rest of the UK:


I remember early 70s the lunchtime Welsh language programming on BBC 1 in parts of England. Started with the London CA saying; ' The following programme is on certain transmitters only' , then the picture cut to the BBC Cymru logo, and a Welsh CA would announce the show. Often the Welsh comedy/song and dance duo, Ryan and Ronnie.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_and_Ronnie

IIRC the lunchtime programmes were shown on some BBC 1 English transmitters, because at the time there
were viewers in Wales that could not receive BBC 1 Wales (the transmitters didn't yet exist) so they were using English ones (Winter Hill, Holme Moss, and Sutton C primarily).
They were also shown in London and the SE (from Crystal Palace UHF and VHF) in order to capture ex-pats in the region.

Tony Currie can give chapter and verse on this I'm sure ?!
Last edited by Markymark on 4 March 2018 7:44pm
BE
benriggers
DE88 posted:
Markymark posted:
Though I think BBC 2 in the rest of the UK showed Pobl y Cwm for a while in the 90s with English subtitles ?


It wasn't the first time Pobol y Cwm was shown outside Wales - viewers of BBC1 in England could see it during its early years in the late '70s and early '80s, mostly on Tuesday or Friday afternoons - but it was certainly the most notable.


JA
james-2001
That showing isn't subtitled, I admit I'd have expected the non-Wales showings to have been.
JA
JAS84
Probably used Ceefax subtitles?
MA
Markymark
JAS84 posted:
Probably used Ceefax subtitles?


Not a huge amount of folk had teletext TVs early 80s, maybe 30% ?

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