Reality show ditches English working title after campaign protest

THE working title of a new TV programme filmed in North Wales has been changed after complaints from a language pressure group.

Gwynedd-based Cylch yr Iaith objected to Ynys Llanddwyn off the south-west coast of Anglesey being referred to as “Cockle Bay” for the BBC series.

The term had been coined by a television production company as a working title for the series, which will see four families living for a month as fishermen and women would have done in 1906.

They will be living at cottages formerly used by pilots and lighthouse keepers on the island.

Cylch yr Iaith, who are keen to ensure the correct use of Welsh and prevent the loss of place names, wrote to the producers and BBC chiefs to voice their concerns.

Now, in a letter to Cylch yr Iaith, producer Paul Islwyn Thomas, of Wildflame Productions, confirmed the term has been dropped.

Ieuan Wyn, of Cylch yr Iaith, said that the working title of the programme is now BBC Living History (Ynys Llanddwyn).

“In his letter, Paul Islwyn Thomas, a Welsh speaker himself, confirmed that they will not be using the term Cockle Bay from now on and that the working title is BBC Living History (Ynys Llanddwyn),” said Mr Wyn.

“We communicated with both the company and the BBC in the last few days and told them the use of Cockle Bay was unacceptable as it could be adopted by others as the name for the area.

“We stressed the importance of respecting place names and that Ynys Llanddwyn has great religious and cultural importance and is an area of national heritage and no one should threaten the use of historical place names.”

The TV production company have been granted planning permission by Anglesey Council to carry out alteration work worth £30,000 to allow filming to go ahead.

The row of four single-storey cottages were built before 1830 for the lighthouse keepers, pilots and lifeboat men who helped to guide ships into the Menai Strait. Eryl Crump