QUEEN OF THE HILLS
SHE is perhaps best known as Emmerdale’s frumpy brunette Gennie Sharma, playing the part of unlucky-in-love member of the Dingle clan until being killed off in 2013. But Sian Reese-Williams takes on an altogether grittier role for her latest crime drama, Hidden (Craith), as she returns once again to her native Wales. The Brecon-born star meets the Mail on set of the show that is hoped to do for North Wales what Broadchurch did for England’s Jurassic Coast and Scandi-Noir for the bleak Swedish countryside. First there is the small matter of making it on to the set with filming taking place on a remote private island off the Anglesey coast accessible, when the tide is up, only by boat. We meet with Reese-Williams on a rib ride over to the set, where filming is in its final stages. She plays Detective Inspector Cadi John - an independent, nononsense character and a far cry Gennie. The location is an immediate talking point. The grey weather and autumn shrubbery create an almost grave atmosphere for what is usually a holiday home.
“This is definitely Cadi’s house” she says, “It’s perfect.”
“I imagine her growing up here as a teenager with her sisters - them all arguing but being stuck on the island and having nowhere to escape.
“There’s so many nooks and crannies and the house itself is gorgeous. Not to mention that there’s a 360 view so wherever the scene is filmed there is a gorgeous backdrop. It’s perfect.”
The show has seen sets in several locations in North Wales, including Rhyd Ddu, Caernarfon and Blaenau Ffestiniog. One episode sees the community district nurse visit residents of a local council estate - which was filmed on the large Maesgeirchen housing estate in Bangor, better known as Maes-G.
The scenes resulted in a number of locals performing as extras during filming: “It was brilliant.” she said. “People were coming out to see what was going on and we ended up with a load of free extras.
“Honestly, 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.”