0:00:00.681,0:00:02.658 My name is Hywel Gwynfryn 0:00:02.658,0:00:05.868 and I'm a broadcaster at the BBC 0:00:05.868,0:00:09.503 BBC Cymru here in the capital, Cardiff 0:00:09.503,0:00:11.916 where I live as well as work 0:00:11.916,0:00:15.720 But my journey starts back in 1942 0:00:15.720,0:00:19.899 That's when I was born in[br]Llangefni, in Anglesey 0:00:19.899,0:00:24.925 A small island on the[br]north coast of Wales. 0:00:24.925,0:00:29.135 Then I went to primary school[br]when I was about six 0:00:29.135,0:00:31.342 and I had to learn English 0:00:31.342,0:00:34.534 because Welsh was my first language 0:00:34.534,0:00:38.124 Welsh was the language we spoke[br]as a family and at home 0:00:38.124,0:00:41.114 and it had been that way for years 0:00:41.114,0:00:44.501 certainly, when I was at[br]school in Llangefni 0:00:44.509,0:00:50.859 around 95% of the island's[br]population spoke Welsh 0:00:50.859,0:00:54.987 but that figure has dropped [br]quite a lot since then 0:00:54.987,0:00:58.679 Anyway, after primary school [br]I went to secondary school 0:00:58.679,0:01:01.814 and I thoroughly enjoyed[br]myself there 0:01:01.814,0:01:05.161 because it was there that I developed[br]an interest in acting 0:01:05.161,0:01:09.418 and I also had the chance to [br]visit the studios in Bangor 0:01:09.418,0:01:11.097 and be a radio actor 0:01:11.102,0:01:13.942 My mother was an actress herself 0:01:13.942,0:01:17.211 and I would go with[br]her to the studio 0:01:17.211,0:01:20.797 to watch the other actors while[br]I sat quietly in the corner 0:01:20.797,0:01:24.260 and then one day, I had [br]the chance to act 0:01:24.260,0:01:26.318 and I remember it well 0:01:26.318,0:01:29.042 the producer came up to my mother 0:01:29.042,0:01:34.320 to ask if she knew anyone who[br]would like to act on the radio 0:01:34.320,0:01:38.640 it was the part of a boy in the soap opera[br]"Teulu'r Siop" (The Shop Family) 0:01:38.640,0:01:41.828 the first radio soap opera[br]in Welsh, as it happens 0:01:41.828,0:01:44.805 and she said "well Hywel",[br]that was me 0:01:44.810,0:01:46.877 "Hywel's an actor" 0:01:46.877,0:01:49.896 "Maybe he'd be interested" 0:01:49.896,0:01:53.169 And then Wilbur Lloyd Roberts[br]gave me the script 0:01:53.169,0:01:55.727 and I read the script straight away 0:01:55.728,0:01:59.218 and he said "well, the boy can act" 0:01:59.218,0:02:01.431 I didn't know how he could[br]possibly know that 0:02:01.431,0:02:03.915 but it was a truly accurate prediction 0:02:03.915,0:02:07.404 because what happened later on,[br]to fast forward a little bit 0:02:07.404,0:02:11.738 I came here to Cardiff in 1960 0:02:11.738,0:02:15.447 to study at the (Royal Welsh)[br]College of Music and Drama 0:02:15.452,0:02:17.882 not to study acting,[br]funnily enough 0:02:17.882,0:02:21.823 but to become a drama teacher 0:02:21.823,0:02:26.161 And by the way, the college itself was[br]in the castle here in Cardiff 0:02:26.173,0:02:28.573 inside the castle walls 0:02:28.573,0:02:31.758 and it was a very happy two years. 0:02:31.763,0:02:34.049 At the end of that spell 0:02:34.049,0:02:36.258 I then got my certificate 0:02:36.258,0:02:40.736 that proved that I was good enough[br]to be a drama teacher 0:02:40.736,0:02:43.487 and I actually had[br]a job to go to 0:02:43.487,0:02:46.169 A certificate as well as a job to go to 0:02:46.172,0:02:48.342 just down the road in Kenfig Hill 0:02:48.342,0:02:52.593 but what happened was that I had started[br]working part time that summer 0:02:52.593,0:02:57.567 during the evenings[br]to earn some money 0:02:57.567,0:03:00.803 before going on to start as a teacher 0:03:00.803,0:03:04.021 And who came in to the place[br]where I was working 0:03:04.021,0:03:06.542 The Borough Arms here in Cardiff 0:03:06.542,0:03:08.055 but a crew from the BBC 0:03:08.055,0:03:09.987 and to cut a long story short 0:03:09.987,0:03:14.324 they asked me to go over to the studio[br]in two months time 0:03:14.324,0:03:16.520 in order for me, or so I thought 0:03:16.521,0:03:19.114 to have the chance to talk[br]about my work 0:03:19.118,0:03:21.598 but when I arrived, what they wanted was 0:03:21.598,0:03:26.272 for me to form part of the[br]"Heddiw" (Today) team 0:03:26.272,0:03:28.890 a daily news roundup 0:03:28.890,0:03:31.876 and I was to go out of the studio 0:03:31.876,0:03:36.930 and bring a part of Wales[br]far away from the studio 0:03:36.934,0:03:40.464 into the studio and onto the programme 0:03:40.464,0:03:45.077 I received a job offer [br]for three months 0:03:45.077,0:03:48.521 and since then I've been working[br]with the BBC for fifty years 0:03:48.521,0:03:51.215 in fact, this year I'm celebrating 0:03:51.215,0:03:53.451 fifty years as a presenter 0:03:53.451,0:03:55.401 through the medium of Welsh, no less 0:03:55.401,0:03:57.569 I've been very lucky 0:03:57.569,0:03:59.096 in the sense that, effectively 0:03:59.096,0:04:02.936 I've been paid all these years 0:04:02.936,0:04:04.796 to speak my own language 0:04:04.796,0:04:08.071 or rather, to listen to other people[br]speaking Welsh 0:04:08.071,0:04:09.478 So what have I done? 0:04:09.478,0:04:12.654 during this time, I've been[br]around the world 0:04:12.664,0:04:15.593 I've been to Florida in the USA 0:04:15.593,0:04:18.775 I've also been to Patagonia[br]in South America 0:04:18.775,0:04:21.828 I've been as far as Sarawak and Borneo 0:04:21.828,0:04:23.827 I've travelled around Europe 0:04:23.827,0:04:27.710 filming programmes for children 0:04:27.710,0:04:29.123 back in the 70s 0:04:29.123,0:04:33.324 then in the 80s I made a programme[br]called "Ar dy Feic" (On Your Bike) 0:04:33.324,0:04:36.060 and I went as far as Beijing in China 0:04:36.060,0:04:39.052 and it was an experience and a half[br]which I remember well 0:04:39.052,0:04:42.201 So I count myself very fortunate 0:04:42.201,0:04:46.651 to not only have been able to do[br]what comes naturally to me 0:04:46.651,0:04:50.434 that is, to speak nineteen to the dozen 0:04:50.437,0:04:53.157 but I've had such interesting work 0:04:53.157,0:04:55.179 and such a variety of work too 0:04:55.179,0:04:58.150 and I would later go down[br]another route 0:04:58.150,0:05:00.384 and I started to write books 0:05:00.384,0:05:02.882 I've written a book[br]about Hywel Griffith 0:05:02.882,0:05:04.635 a very famous actor 0:05:04.635,0:05:09.152 in a film I'm sure you all know,[br]'Ben Hur', with Charlton Heston 0:05:09.152,0:05:14.610 well in that film Huw Griffith won[br]the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor 0:05:14.610,0:05:17.636 well, I could obviously go on for hours 0:05:17.636,0:05:19.717 talking about what I've done 0:05:19.717,0:05:22.920 but that's a little snippet of my story 0:05:22.920,0:05:25.388 it's been a pleasure chatting to you 0:05:25.388,0:05:27.196 what's more, in my own language 0:05:27.196,0:05:30.115 there are currently about half a million[br]of us here in Wales 0:05:30.115,0:05:32.076 who speak the Welsh language 0:05:32.076,0:05:34.038 and even though its numbers are dwindling 0:05:34.038,0:05:36.909 there are significant campaigns 0:05:36.909,0:05:38.329 to keep it alive 0:05:38.329,0:05:41.208 So thank you very much for listening 0:05:41.208,0:05:42.725 thank you for listening 0:05:42.725,0:05:43.515 Goodbye!