It's open tap for a new series of the light drama series as viewers become familiar with the colourful characters of the fictional Bull pub located in a typical North Wales quarry village.
Tuning in to Ista'nbwl for half-an-hour each week during the punters' Friday evening 'happy hour', viewers will feel they've popped to their local watering hole. The drama will be filmed very close to transmission and include references to topical events and the gossip of the day.
Produced and filmed on a specially built set, the cast features Sue Roderick, Bryn Fôn, John Glyn Owen, Dafydd Emyr, Bethan Hughes, Mirain Hâf, Valmai Jones and Rhys ap Trefor.
One of the stars will be Llion Willians who, along with the rest of the stellar cast and the production team, will make last-minute contributions to the scripts, craftily written by Graham Jones and Cefin Roberts.
Llion has portrayed his share of interesting characters on screen and on stage during his eventful career over the last quarter century.
Two of his best known roles, George Hughes in the comedy series, C'Mon Midffîld and Goronwy Jones in the radio series and film, Dyddiadur Dyn Dwad (A Newcomer's Diary) were rather fond of pubs. Now Llion is set to play Chris 'Cwis' (Chris 'Quiz') who spends almost his whole life sitting in the Bull.
"Ista'nbwl is an interesting project – it's a light drama based in a pub with an ad lib feel. The element of topicality and immediacy is an important part of it and it'll be exciting to shoot scenes on the Friday with some of the week's events being relevant to the content. I'm looking forward eagerly to playing Chris Cwis," explained Llion, who lives at Pontrug, near Caernarfon.
Chris Cwis is hardly ever out of the Bull. He's nearing the age of 40; he still lives at home with his parents and has let himself go a bit because of his way of life.
"He has enough in his head and there's more depth to him than people think. I like the character a lot because he couldn't care less what he says. I like to speak my mind as well but I can't say everything that's on the tip of my tongue unfortunately, but I can convey some of my prejudices through Chris Cwis," says Llion, tongue-in-cheek!
"The series has a 'fly-on-the-wall' feel as if viewers drop in on the life of the characters. Their lives are humdrum in one sense – but I believe the viewers will be able to relate to the ordinariness of the regulars at the Bull."
© 2010 S4C
O Gymru / Made in Wales