10 January 2014
S4C have announced that they have commissioned a second series of Taith Fawr y Dyn Bach (The Small Man's Big Journey).
The six-part first series of Taith Fawr y Dyn Bach was broadcast on S4C during the summer of 2013, attracting a fantastic response by viewers in Wales and beyond. During the series James who is twenty five years old and is three foot, seven inches travels across Wales to meet people with various conditions.
Taith Fawr y Dyn Bach is a unique commission as it is the only series on any UK broadcasting channel which has a presenter with a medical condition discussing various other medical conditions.
Series Presenter, James Lusted or Dwarfman Jay as he's known on Twitter said:
"It's been a pleasure reading all the messages that have come in from people who enjoyed the first series. The feedback on Facebook and Twitter has been incredible, and strangers have even been stopping me in the street to say how much they enjoyed watching Taith Fawr y Dyn Bach.
"When Cwmni Da first approached me I wasn't sure if I wanted to take part in the series because it's such a difficult subject. It's difficult to send out a positive message and not make the audience feel sorry for people with medical conditions, but I really feel that the production company had a clear vision on how to go about it and have succeeded in raising awareness of various conditions and also shown that we can live our lives like everyone else; yes, we face challenges, but we adapt.
"Now I'm so glad that I agreed to take part and I'm really looking forward to the second series."
Llion Iwan, Content Commissioner for S4C said:
"We're glad to announce that there will be another series of Taith Fawr y Dyn Bach on S4C next year. Every step of James's journey in the first series was poignant, honest and inspiring and the series obviously struck the right note with the viewers.
"In the second part of his journey James will travel across Wales meeting more people who live their varied lives facing significant challenges. I hope that the series will contribute towards changing perceptions of people with various conditions and like James said, help people to see the person and not the condition."
On the first series of Taith Fawr y Dyn Bach James travelled throughout Wales to meet Charlotte Doherty who has Cerebral Palsy, Haf Thomas who has Down's Syndrome, Hannah Stevenson who has vision impairment, Sara Jones who has Multiple Sclerosis, Sara Wheeler who has Waardenburg Syndrome and Daniel Jones who's autistic.
In the second series we'll follow James as he meets more people who live with various conditions, see him join a five-a-side football team, have horse-riding lessons and continue on his journey in the world of drama. The second series will be broadcast in 2014.
Some comments the series received on Twitter:
• Congratulation to James on his new series! I am a parent of a young lady who has Down's Syndrome and have just watched the first episode and found it very inspiring and enlightening, and look forward to the rest of the series. Thanks again.
• Sad to see the end of the series #taithfawrydynbach. Ready for another series @Cwmnida @S4C!
• Taith Fawr y Dyn Bach, wonderful series. It would be nice for James to do other programmes. James is so much loved and respected by everybody.
Follow @S4C and @Dwarfmanjay on Twitter and like S4C on Facebook for the latest information on the second series.
