‘We tried to show off North Wales as much as possible’
THE new BBC One crime drama Hidden, shot in various locations around North Wales, begins next week.
And for those watching from the region, part of the anticipation is spotting where all the scenes are filmed.
From the makers of hit series Hinterland, Hidden tells the story of Detective Sergeant Cadi John, played by Requiem and Emmerdale star Siân ReeseWilliams, who returns to North Wales to care for her ailing father.
But when the body of a local woman is found in a disused quarry, it becomes obvious that sinister secrets lie within the region and Cadi’s world is changed forever.
Tackling the issues of mental health, the appropriation of women’s bodies and misogyny, the series is made up of interweaving stories, all linked by the abduction and incarceration of a young woman.
And, ahead of the first episode to be aired tonight, sister paper the Daily Post spoke to Hidden’s location manager Paul Davies to find out exactly where the eagerly-anticipated series was filmed.
Mr Davies said: “We have tried to show off North Wales as much as possible.
“You have got to lift every stone to see what’s out there. I see myself as an explorer and an adventurer, the way to find these places is just to drive around and see things.
“I like to go down roads that aren’t public roads, you come across gems of locations.
“You can even write a scene around a certain location if it’s worth using.
“But the script usually creates an image in your mind, and my job is to go out there and find that image.”
Here’s where to look out for in the first series, which begins on BBC One Wales tonight, June 6.
One of the main sets of the series was filmed at a hidden holiday home on a tiny remote island off Anglesey, called Ynys Castell.
The private island on the Menai Strait, which separates Anglesey and mainland Wales, is only accessible when the tide is up and is reached only by boat.
The house, which has been altered in appearance for the series, is used as Cadi John’s home.
“I was flicking through the Menai Holiday Cottages brochures when I came across Ynys Castell and we decided to go for that location as it was so special,” Mr Davies added.
“It will certainly intrigue people where this place is.
“You have to cross a tidal carriageway to get to the island where the house is.
“Even half of the locals don’t know how to get there.” And, of course, one of Wales’ most iconic landmarks will fea- ture in one of the episodes as one of the characters take a stroll over the bridge. Speaking of the set, Game of Thrones star Gwyneth Keyworth, who plays Megan Reynolds in Hidden, said: “Menai Bridge is wonderful at sunset. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite so beautiful, and I say that having grown up in Aberystwyth.
“The landscape of North Wales is so beautiful, it’s a very captivating part of the world.”
The Menai Suspension Bridge opened in 1826 as the biggest suspension bridge in the world, linking Anglesey to the mainland for the first time.
It spans the treacherous waters of the Menai Strait, linking Anglesey with the mainland, attracting visitors from all over the globe.
The bridge was designed by Thomas Telford and is a Grade I listed building.
Part of the series was also filmed on the Maes Padarn council housing estate in Llanberis, near Castell Dolbadarn.
It’s here where the father and sister of the murdered woman, who is found dead in a disused quarry, lives.
Speaking of the Llanberis set, Mr Davies added: “You know from the word go who the baddie is, so we follow his world.
“When I discovered the location, I knew they would want to write something into the script in order to include that location. It’s an organic process.”
Another episode will see the community district nurse visit residents of a local council estate in Bangor, which has been filmed on the large Maesgeirchen housing estate, better known to locals as Maes-G.
The scenes resulted in a number of locals performing as extras during filming:
Speaking of the set, Siân Reese-Williams said: “People were coming out to see what was going on and we ended up with a load of free extras.
“I love how the estate meets the backdrop of these massive mountains.
“The estate is right there, included in the landscape instead of being tucked away.”
One of the first scenes of the series to be aired was filmed in Blaenau Ffestiniog and is set at the Northern Welsh Quarries, Zip World’s Llechwedd Slate Caverns.
The quarry is used as Dylan Harris’ workplace – the central character who physically abducts a young girl who is held in captivity in the mountains of Snowdonia.
The site dates back to 1836.
A farm house in Rhyd Ddu, nestled in the Snowdonia countryside, was also used as a film set in the series.
It will be the home of the parents of the local district nurse.
Mr Davies added: “Every location has it’s own story and character, who explain themselves and where they live throughout the series.
“We take each character to different places to show different locations.”
The small village in Snowdonia is known as a starting point for those wanting to walk up Snowdon.
The Rhyd-Ddu Path is one of the easiest paths to the summit of Snowdon, although it is also one of the quietest.