Bang (TV series)

Lore & Background

Bang was created by Roger Williams, who said of the bilingual nature of the script: 'It was very much about story; a strong story that would get people tuning in every week to see what would happen. Then the conversation about language started to happen. Port Talbot isn't the strongest place for the Welsh language. There are quite a small percentage of speakers compared with Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Gwynedd. From that stumbling block I started to think: ‘Why don’t we reflect the linguistic diversity of a place like Port Talbot?’ For all of us who are bilingual, the reality is that we live our lives through two languages.' The first series was broadcast on S4C in 2017, and the second series aired in February–March 2020. Initial broadcasts carried entirely English subtitles that needed to be accessed by the viewer, while repeat airings carried encoded English subtitles for scenes spoken in Welsh. The series was concurrently available on the BBC iPlayer as part of the BBC's ongoing relationship with S4C.

Reader's Guide

Bang is significant as a bilingual Welsh television crime drama that reflects the linguistic diversity of Port Talbot, an area with a smaller percentage of Welsh speakers than other parts of Wales. By featuring both English and Welsh, the series normalizes code-switching and bilingual life in a contemporary setting. Its availability on BBC iPlayer expanded its reach beyond S4C's primary audience. The show's two series, broadcast in 2017 and 2020, explore crime and family dynamics through the central relationship between Sam Jenkins, a loner who finds a gun, and his sister Gina, a police detective. The cast includes Jacob Ifan, Catrin Stewart, Nia Roberts, and Jack Parry Jones, among others. The series contributes to the representation of Welsh-language media in a crime genre context.

Did You Know?

• Bang was created by Roger Williams and first broadcast on S4C on 10 September 2017.
• The series is set in Port Talbot, Wales, and features both English and Welsh languages.
• Initial broadcasts carried entirely English subtitles that needed to be accessed by the viewer, not appearing on screen automatically.
• The second series aired on S4C in February–March 2020.

Origins & Bilingual Production

Created by screenwriter Matthew Hall and brought to life by production company Vox Pictures, Keeping Faith (originally titled Un Bore Mercher, meaning 'One Wednesday Morning') is a thriller rooted firmly in the Welsh landscape. The story follows Faith Howells, a solicitor at a family-run firm, whose husband Evan vanishes while she is on maternity leave after the birth of their third child. Eve Myles leads the cast alongside Hannah Daniel, Matthew Gravelle, Bradley Freegard, Mark Lewis Jones, Mali Harries, and Aneirin Hughes.

The series was filmed concurrently in both Welsh and English, making it the second in a back-to-back season of bilingual dramas on S4C. Production began in the summer of 2017 across Carmarthenshire, with exteriors capturing Faith's home perched above the estuary near Laugharne castle. Interior and courtroom scenes were shot in Carmarthen Guildhall and the former Swansea courthouse, while studio work took place at Sony UK Technology Centre's Ffilm Factory 35 in Pencoed. Funding came through the Welsh Government's Media Investment Budget, with location support from Wales Screen, the government's creative industries arm. The Welsh-language premiere aired on S4C on 5 November 2017, followed by the English version on BBC One Wales in February 2018.

Cultural Impact & Record-Breaking Success

Few Welsh productions have generated the kind of seismic audience response that Keeping Faith achieved almost overnight. The first series drew an average of 300,000 viewers per episode, a figure that made it the most-watched programme on BBC Wales in more than a quarter of a century. Its digital footprint was equally extraordinary: by May 2018 the show had accumulated over 8.5 million downloads on BBC iPlayer, earning the distinction of being the most-downloaded non-network title on the platform.

The momentum was so powerful that the BBC announced a UK-wide BBC One broadcast beginning 10 July 2018. Nick Andrews, Head of Commissioning for BBC Wales, described the series as 'a real gem from start to finish' and a testament to the strength of Welsh drama. The acclaim was formally recognised when the first series collected three Welsh BAFTAs in 2018, including Best Actress for Eve Myles, Best Writer for Matthew Hall, and Original Music for Amy Wadge and Laurence Love Greed.

The show's longevity on the platform speaks to its lasting appeal. By May 2021, after three series had aired, cumulative views on BBC iPlayer had surpassed 50 million, cementing Keeping Faith as a cornerstone of Welsh television history.

Critical Reception & Comparisons

From its first broadcast, Keeping Faith attracted enthusiastic critical attention that drew parallels with celebrated drama of the early 2010s. The Guardian likened it to 'Big Little Lies relocated to rural Wales,' while Grazia magazine called it a 'TV trailblazer' reminiscent of Broadchurch at its peak. Nicole Wynne in The Times captured the national buzz, describing it as 'the dual-language drama that has got box-set Britain gripped.'

Wales Arts Review's Gary Raymond offered a more local perspective, calling the series 'a genuine diamond [that] emerge[d] from the coalface' and noting that social media sentiment was considerably more approving than the limited pre-broadcast publicity might have suggested. Stuart Heritage of the i urged readers to 'watch this game-changing thriller while you still can,' and the Daily Express highlighted the show's 'unprecedented success' as the driver behind its BBC One expansion.

A July 2018 Guardian review praised the production as 'realistic and beautifully shot,' adding that it 'looks real and brilliant and Welsh.' A crime-fiction blogger similarly urged readers to seek out the show, calling it a hidden BBC gem. The overall consensus was one of genuine surprise at the quality emerging from a small Welsh production.

Global Adaptations & Musical Legacy

Keeping Faith's influence extended well beyond the UK, spawning international adaptations that confirmed the story's universal appeal. A French remake titled Gloria, starring Cécile Bois, was released by TF1 in March 2021. South Korea followed with Hide, featuring Lee Bo-young, set to air on JTBC and Coupang Play from March 2024. Most recently, a Turkish adaptation called Başka Bir Gün, starring Ezgi Mola, was released by ATV in January 2025. Each version reinterprets the core premise of a missing husband and a determined wife for its own cultural context, a testament to the strength of Matthew Hall's original script.

The series also left a distinct musical fingerprint. Singer-songwriter Amy Wadge composed six original songs for the show, with the English-language versions performed by Wadge herself and the Welsh-language versions sung by Ela Hughes. The instrumental score was crafted by Laurence Love Greed. Both the English and Welsh soundtracks were released as EPs on iTunes on 9 March 2018, giving fans a way to experience the show's emotional landscape beyond the screen. The music earned an Original Music Welsh BAFTA, underscoring how integral the soundtrack was to the series' emotional impact.