Wales Broadcast Archive Presents... John Ogwen & Maureen Rhys
BBC Radio Cymru records exclusive Christmas episode of Ffion Dafis’ Arts Show
The Wales Broadcast Archive at the National Library of Wales announce the details of the latest exciting event in the series, “Wales Broadcast Archive Presents…” The series celebrates the rich legacy of Welsh broadcasting and its stars, showcasing their contributions to Wales’ on-screen heritage and is a partnership between the Library and the broadcasters BBC Cymru Wales, ITV Cymru Wales and S4C. Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Welsh Government and the National Library, Wales Broadcast Archive’s mission and purpose is to preserve and share Welsh broadcasting heritage with the public.
Thursday 26 September will see BBC Radio Cymru’s Sunday arts show presenter, Ffion Dafis host ‘Wales Broadcast Archive Presents... John Ogwen and Maureen Rhys’. This special event celebrates the much-loved Welsh actors, husband and wife duo, who both celebrated their 80th birthdays this year, and who have been on our TV screens since the mid-60s.
The event will also be recorded for a special Christmas episode of the Radio Cymru arts show featuring John and Maureen. The programme will also offer a behind the scenes look at the National Library as Dr Maredudd ap Huw, Manuscript Librarian, showcases items from the collections that hold significance for both John and Maureen.
The iconic couple who met at Bangor University and married in 1966, have starred in countless Welsh language TV dramas and films, will provide the audience with an exclusive behind-the-scenes insight into some of Wales’ most significant dramas, such as Lleifior and Y Tŵr. Additionally, in a nod to the old Hollywood tradition, they’ll talk about how they were both contracted to star in four TV dramas just as S4C was established. John Ogwen was awarded the Outstanding Contribution BAFTA Cymru award in 2004.
John Ogwen and Maureen Rhys said: “We’re honoured to be invited as special guests at the Wales Broadcast Archive. Reminiscing about our early work has been very enjoyable, we can’t wait to share our stories! We’ve also been told that there’s some nice surprises for us in the Library’s collection too. We’re really looking forward to seeing the wonderful people of Aberystwyth in September.”
Previous events in the Archive series include evenings with actor and star of Y Gwyll / Hinterland, Richard Harrington, as well as singer, songwriter and presenter Caryl Parry Jones. The Archive Centre also hosts regular Broadcast Workshops to introduce primary school children to broadcast history as well as potential careers in broadcasting.
Dr Dafydd Tudur, Director of the Wales Broadcast Archive said of the forthcoming event:
"The exceptional talents of John Ogwen and Maureen Rhys are known to generations of viewers and listeners in Wales. We eagerly look forward to welcoming them to the National Library, to looking back at their illustrious careers and hearing their stories, and to sharing some treasures from the Broadcast Archive and other collections too!
The Wales Broadcast Archive has gone from strength to strength since its launch in March last year. Thousands have visited the Broadcast Archive Centre at the National Library in Aberystwyth, and we’ve opened Clip Corners across Wales so that the public can access more than 250,000 television and radio programmes at those locations too. More Clip Corners will open soon, thousands more programmes will become available, and we’re already delivering workshops for schools, community-based activities, and a programme of events such as this to celebrate our broadcasting heritage.”
Tickets are free and available at https://events.library.wales any financial donations to the National Library are welcomed.