Ok; it is in Welsh, but to be honest I think if a person is so narrow-minded that they will avoid things just because they might have to read a subtitle or two they are restricting themselves in the worst way.
As a person new to speaking Welsh, I have to say the best thing by far for me was that there was no complexity in the language, so it was easy to keep up with, but I am aware this makes me a niche market! If I were to have a complaint it would be that this programme didn’t have subtitles ‘yn Gymraeg’ because I find that helps!
But this is not a Welsh review, so I’ll get to the point…
It’s a simple premise:
Trefor runs a taxi service, aided by his unseen sister on the radio. The show is shot entirely inside the taxi as we meet his regular customers going about their daily lives. The characters we meet are extremely funny and there is a high energy to the programme, with almost the feel of a sketch show; possibly testament to the show’s origin as part of a sketch show itself, but regardless it keeps a good pace throughout.
The humour is puerile, crude and base, but is hilariously so, drawing the viewer into Trefor’s world and making us feel very much a part of every fare.
Trefor is brilliantly played by Rhodri Meilir, who will be best known to English audiences from BBC appearances in My Family and Dr Who but has a huge range of credits on Welsh-language television and there are a few other familiar faces amongst the cast of customers.
It is a brilliant show! You should know by now that I do not say anything I don’t mean, so click the piccy below to watch online, or catch it on Sky channel 134 on Thursday nights at 10pm.
Update:5th Oct 2012
Series two is currently airing on Wednesday nights at 9.30pm with repeats on Fridays at 11.35pm. This new offering is every bit as funny as the first series, so be sure to check it out!
That is all!
20 comments:
Hehe! It has been suggested I should have reviewed this in Welsh... really, my grasp of the language is not yet good enough for that!
Hi. I work on this show.I see that you live in Devon.Very interested to find out how the hell you came across this show??! We're just getting to grips with the new series of the show. There'll also be an English taster out soon. I'll let you know.
Thanks for getting in touch! I watch quite a lot of S4C as I've been learning Welsh for a while and it helps! When I first saw a trail for the show I understood most of it so figured it would be worth watching! And this being a comedy-based blog, it makes sense to include it!
Be sure to keep me up-to-date!
Thank you!
Dwi'n dysgu Cymraeg hefyd ac dwi'n dwli Gwlad yr Astra Gwyn! To be honest, at first I thought it was rather crude and silly but I just watched the sixth (and last?) episode and it was so sweet with Tref and Leann! And did we see (through the window) that Alwyn was climbing up a bridge? To jump?! Nice build up to a really great finale.
Hello Allynn! Argh... spoilers! Hehe! I'll forgive you, because I am aware this might be the only post you have read here (that and as you are in the US, the TV listings are probably not available to you!)... but this week the scrumptious Chris Corcoran was on another channel at the same time... sorry to say that as much as I love GyAG the decision as to which I'd watch was very much a no-brainer! Am watching the repeat in an hour's time though! :D
Poor Alwyn!! :(
So sorry for the spoilers!!! It never occured to me that I'd watch the show before you did!
I'm actually going to go back and watch all six episodes again. I think I may have missed a lot of the subtlety in the first few. I do find the North Walian a bit more difficult to understand but I love the tempo of Rhodri Meilir's voice (though *not* in Rapsgaliwn!).
Perhaps my favorite exchange is in episode 5 between Tref and Leann about her Tad-cu's dog which ended with "why would I want a dead dog?". Brilliant! That and Vera "finding" 50 pounds from Jim James!
I loved that line, too.. although Vera is by far my favourite character! (not sure what that says about me!)
Yeah. I'm a big Vera fan too! Loved the bit about not being able to handle a 13" anymore and only 9" on the weekends! In the mold of Doris, Gwen's neighbor in Gavin and Stacey
Yes... a slightly more hardcore version of Doris! Funniest Vera moment for me was probably the scene in which Tref asks advice on a birthday present for his mum. I love how she is so blatant as to her intentions and he just says "Mum doesn't want sex, she's too old!". And the classic "Do you want to borrow an umbrella" exchange! Hehe! Desperately awaiting a second series now! Especially as the episodes are starting to disappear from the clic player!
Hapus Dydd Gwyl Dewi!
Ers heddiw yn Dydd Gwyl Dewi, dw i 'n mynd sgwennu popeth yn y Gymraeg. Mae'n rhaid i fi ofyn... pam yn ti'n dysgu Cymraeg? Dw i wedi dysgu gyda SaySomethingInWelsh.com ac mae hynny yn modd dda iawn.
Yma mae'n link ar clip byr o Pobol y Cwm. Bydd yn gwneud i ti chwerthin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al_VLDP6VVU
Ac Dydd Gwŷl Dewi Hapus rhy i ti!
Dw i 'n dysgu hefyd gyda SSIW (ac 'The Rosetta Stone')
Dw i 'n dysgu achos bydda i 'n symud i Gymru yn yr haf.
Yn clip ddionol iawn - diolch yn fawr ar gyfer rhannu!
Llongyfarchiadau on your impending move to Wales! I went to Uni in Lampeter (rather a long time ago now ;-) but I never really learned much Welsh there (unfortunately). What part of Wales are you moving to? Near the "Land of the White Astra", perhaps?
SSiW is just fantastic! I tried Rosetta too but the pace was way to slow for me. I finished the SSiW intermediate about a year ago but the last 5 or 6 lessons didn't really stick. I was quite surprised when I picked them up again and, not only did they start to register, but I realized I hadn't forgotten anything! Now I just watch anything I can with Welsh sub-titles. Can't wait for "Hwb" to start next week
Yes Hwb looks very exciting!
Did you catch Caryl Parry Jones last night? The sketches in that show were very funny!!
I'm looking at the South... around the Caerphilly area. I couldn't go to the north as I'd be too far from my family!
I like to use the Welsh subtitles... it makes it easier to spot mutations - they still evade me slightly! I know what you mean about Rosetta... I would not be able to consider myself a Welsh speaker were I using that alone! I use it more now as a vocab-topper to my SSIW.
I missed Caryl Parry Jones but will look for her. I have access to Clic (through a slightly nefarious means). Oddly enough the live S4C stream usually comes through to me even on my US IP address. But older shows need a little... ah... circumvention,
Caerphilly is lovely and I certainly know what you mean about the north being too far away. Many is the road trip I made for sight seeing and anything north of Dolgellau seemed to take forever. I'd love to retire to Wales someday. Somewhere on the coast between Aberaeron and Aberystwyth would suit me. And, of course, the train goes all the way to Aberystwyth so it isn't quite so remote. I've got to start watching "Teulu" because some of it is filmed on location in Aberaeron.
Welsh subtitles are definitely helpful! I find I can understand most of what's going on on "Pobol y Cwm" with the subtitles on. Of course, it's a soap (and a rural one at that). Main plots seem to be: "Dw i'n dy garu di. Dw i'n dy gasau di.
Dw i'n cysgu gyda di wraig di (neu, dw i'n cysgu gyda dy defaid di)"
Aaah... Pobol... a guilty pleasure! Hehe! I was told as long as I am not using the English subs I can consider it educational, so don't have to feel bad about watching it! ;P
Mae "Gwlad yr Astra Gwyn" yn dod nol ac mae Alywn yn dal yn fwy!
I was so happy to see a second season start. Unfortunately, my source doesn't have English (or Welsh) subtitles so I'm missing quite a lot. About the only thing I really understood in the first episode was that Jim James (love that name) bought a new "rug". But it was nice to see Alywn (something about depression and chess?) and, of course, Vera (something about sex as always).
Hi Allynn!
I have to say, S4C have gotten a bit lax in the subtitle department! There are none in either language on a lot of programmes I like to watch.
Gwefreiddiol (another brilliantly entertaining show, if you haven't seen it!) had English titles only for the first series but now has none at all. It seems they are moving backwards not forwards!
Hopefully they will soon be able to put out every show with both English and Welsh subs.
If you are looking for something easy to understand, take a look at Jacpot. It's imensely naff with its tacky set and easy questions etc but is really good for learning the language.
They must be cutting back to save money. Pity that but it's yet another reason to learn better Welsh!
I just checked my source for Welsh television.... They have Gwefreiddoiol but not Jacpot. I agree, a quiz show should be easy to understand. have you been following Hwb?
I've not watched Hwb for a while to be honest. I can be a bit all-or-nothing and as such was spending every waking moment focussing on learning Welsh and not doing much else so took a break to sit back and just enjoy what I had learned already. Amazing how much you absorb doing that though!
I have discovered that there are subtitles, but not through the s4c system. There are two methods of getting subs, either using the accessibility functions available for all channels or by using "red button" features available only on s4c. Previously they were on red button (thus available also on streams/clic player) but are now only on the accessibility. Would love more Welsh subs though - they seem to have cut back an awful lot on their subtitle provision lately!
Did you watch Gwefreiddiol then? I love it!
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