Cofio
Siw Hughes
Actress Siw's Royal break-in
Why did actress Siw Hughes break into her school, Ysgol Gyfun Llangefni, on the day of Princess Anne's wedding to Captain Mark Phillips in November 1973?
The actress, best-known as sharp-tongued Kath Jones in soap opera Pobol y Cwm, explains all in Cofio. In this S4C series, presented by Heledd Cynwal, Welsh personalities share their memories with the help of film clips from the archives.
Protest
The unusual break-in was a protest against the closure of schools as part of the Royal wedding celebrations.
"A small gang of us decided to break back into school to show our protest against closing schools to celebrate the wedding," says Siw.
"It was in the context of all the campaigning taking place at that time in support of the Welsh language. We were teenagers and wanted to play our part. We weren't quite sure how to go about it. We thought 'Here's an opportunity to draw attention. A British Royal wedding - this is an affront to us as a nation!'"
Longing for Kath
Kath Jones, her character in Pobol y Cwm, has left to live in Portugal but Siw hopes the old battleaxe will return. "I miss her terribly," says Siw, who adopted a South Wales accent suited to the role.
An indication of the popularity of Pobol y Cwm is the appeal it has among non-Welsh speakers who follow the series faithfully, says Siw, who won a Bafta Cymru award for her performance as Kath Jones. "I didn't think Kath would last 15 years. It's a privilege to play the part and be appreciated."