03 September 2014

Discussion, debate and even potential arguments! That's what some of S4C's autumn schedule highlights will achieve according to S4C Director of Content, Dafydd Rhys.

From current affairs to drama, sport to entertainment, the programmes over the coming months on S4C will be a talking point – and will provide unique content not to be missed.

• One of the programmes which will spark a debate is the series Streic y Glowyr. Thirty years on from the miners' strike, we take a look back at the events which still evoke strong feelings to this day. In a series of three documentaries broadcast during September, Adam Price recalls the bitter dispute from the perspective of those who were prominent in the campaign. Over three decades later, do they view the situation differently today? And would some have acted differently?

• Following on from Adam Price's thought-provoking series will be another documentary offering the view from the other side of the picket fence with historian Hywel Williams presenting a contrasting hypothesis and view which might make some viewers re-consider.

• This year is the centenary of the birth of Dylan Thomas. Among a season of programmes about the great poet, actor Rhys Ifans presents a documentary which will raise questions about the poets' Welsh identity and his attitudes towards the Welsh language. Was Dylan a Welsh speaker? Did he feel pride in his native tongue and did it influence his work?

• Dyddiadur Dews is a brand-new black comedy which starts on Friday 12 September. A frank and in-your-face comedy, which is sure to divide the audience – the series follows the trials and tribulations of Dewi Garn Fach, an angry man who feels that the world is against him as he stumbles through a messy divorce from wife Lowri. The programme contains colourful language, scenes of a sexual nature, nudity and substance abuse.

• A look at the First World War through the experiences of young people across Europe is the new series Rhyfel Mawr Drwy Lygaid Ifanc. Starting on Wednesday 10 September, in a series of stories we'll see how life was very different back then. The first episode features a 14-year-old who joined the war against his parents' wishes, an example of the extraordinary tales to follow during the rest of the series. Plenty for the young viewers to mull over as the horrors of the war is brought home as they view it through the eyes of someone just like them.

• Our thoughts remain with the Great War during a weekend of special programming. Among them are a documentary about the experiences of those who objected to the war; a look at how women's lives were changed during those years; and a programme focusing on poet Hedd Wyn who was killed at the Battle of Passchendaele.

• And our current affairs and news services will be covering the stories making the headlines – with a series of revealing programmes on the issues surrounding the Scottish Referendum, and a live programme that will watch events unfold as the votes are counted.

The autumn season on S4C will see several significant changes to the look of the schedule.

• Clwb – The new service Clwb is a major change to the S4C Sunday afternoon schedule, offering a packed afternoon of sports of all kinds. These include regular live football and rugby matches from the Welsh Premier League and Guinness PRO12 in the company of the experienced Sgorio and Clwb Rygbi teams. Cycling, rallying, running and horseracing from Ffos Las will also make up the packed programme of events during six hours each Sunday afternoon.

• Dal Ati – For Welsh learners, the new series Dal Ati offers encouragement in the right direction. Targeting more fluent speakers, Dal Ati is the place to practise and polish up on your Welsh, and a regular slot each Sunday morning should be in the diary to watch live or record to catch up at another time. And a brand-new app will be an extension of the programmes, with modules and help to improve those linguistic skills in various conversational situations.

• Zoning – Programmes of similar genres will be scheduled for broadcast on the same evening in an attempt to create a familiar and stable schedule for viewers of all interests. The initial pattern will feature lifestyle programmes on a Thursday night: Becws, a new baking series with Beca Lyne-Pirkis of The Great British Bake Off fame; followed by a new series of Tyfu Pobl, with Bethan Gwanas and Russell Jones encouraging groups in Botwnnog, Porthmadog, Ruthin and Denbigh to try their hand at growing vegetables.

• One slot which has remained unchanged over the years is Sunday night drama. During the autumn the new offering will be the brand new series Cara FI. Set in rural Pembrokeshire, Cara FI tells the tale of single farmers who advertise themselves on the side of milk cartons, in search of love. It's a story about relationships, and a bit of fun, but also about a community's fight for survival, as they try to halt the flow of youngsters leaving the area.

• The weekends will put focus on entertainment. Each Friday night, Nigel Owens presents his lively panel show Munud i Fynd, and Sam ar y Sgrin takes an irreverent look at TV, films, games, radio - and beyond. They are followed by the raucous Dyddiadur Dews, and on Saturday brand-new family variety entertainment show Llwyfan sees Welsh Three Tenors star Aled Hall introduce performances by singers, dancers, choirs alongside a host of familiar names and new talent too.

So it's not all controversy and debate. There is plenty of fun to be had as part of the entertaining autumn schedule. We can look forward to celebrating a special birthday as Pobol Y Cwm reaches 40 in October, and on 14 September S4C has the first Welsh broadcast of Gruff Rhys’s acclaimed film I Grombil Cyfandir Pell: American Interior

As he launches the autumn S4C schedule, S4C Content Commissioner, Dafydd Rhys says:

"The autumn on S4C is shaping up to be a very strong schedule of programmes. The schedule will present a number of talking points for our viewers: we're not afraid of asking the burning questions, and we won't shy away from challenging content.

"Beyond the programmes, the schedule is a varied service which is available through a number of methods. 'On TV, online, on demand – It's Your Choice'; that is our message, emphasising that S4C content, in its many guises, can be accessed in a wide range of ways and at any time.

"As S4C expands to new platforms, it's easier than ever for people across Britain to reach our services and I'm proud of the quality of the offerings we have this season. It's a credit to the independent sector, to the BBC Cymru Wales and ITV Cymru Wales, as well as the commissioners and hardworking staff at S4C."

Keep an eye on the s4c.co.uk website and the social media outlets facebook.com/s4c.co.uk and @s4c for the latest information about the season's programming.

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