North Wales actress stars in TV drama tackling children’s mental health
12-YEAR-OLD NEL ‘FELT LIKE A QUEEN’WHILE FILMING SHOW WITH CRUCIAL MESSAGE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
AYOUNG actress from Gwynedd will highlight mental health issues in children after landing a starring role in a hard-hitting new TV show.
Twelve-year-old Nel Williams from Caernarfon stars in new S4C drama series Bex.
Ysgol Syr Hugh Owen pupil Nel plays the part of Casi and is breaking new ground in tackling mental health problems and tragedies that affect children and their families.
Her football-loving character suffers from severe anxiety which has developed into emetophobia – a fear of vomiting.
The character’s vomit phobia can be triggered by seeing vomit, watching other people vomit, or even feeling sick.
It is a phobia that may occur alongside other mental health conditions and which producer Nia Ceidiog says is not as rare as many people might think.
The programme highlights how youngsters can be seriously affected by all kinds of mental health and wellbeing issues and how talking about them can be a big help.
Following her TV debut, Nel said: “It’s really important to raise people’s awareness of mental health and give children and young people the opportunity to talk openly about these issues.
“I haven’t seen other programmes that discuss mental health and how it affects young people, so I’m looking forward to seeing the other episodes of Bex.”
She continued: “This was my first time acting on television.
“I had a lot of fun and learnt that making a programme was a long process.
“I was amazed at how many staff work on these programmes. I felt like a queen because I had a personal chaperone.
“It was a great experience, even though there were a lot of lines to learn.”
Among the other difficulties featured are a young boy whose sister has died of leukaemia, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic attacks and body dysmorphic disorder.
The title role of Bex is played by West End actress Rebecca Hayes, who says she would have loved to have seen a drama series like this when she was young, as it would have been a big help in navigating the trials and tribulations of growing up.
Rebecca, from Cardiff and who is currently appearing in a stage version of To Kill A Mocking Bird, at the Gielgud Theatre in London, said: “This is the first show I’ve done for children.
“The reason I did it is if I had had a programme like this when I was growing up, I would have loved it.
“It’s shown me it’s not something to be afraid of or keep quiet about.
“I’ve learned things I didn’t know much about as well and could have helped me recognise the issues in others.
“It’s important for young people to see that things like panic attacks, anxiety, phobias and such do happen and its possible to live with these issues.”
She said mental health issues among children and young people was one of the major issues that emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic.
She added: “But that has led to more openness and more discussion and young people now believe they have someone they can talk to about their problems, their phobias and issues.
“Bex shows young people how to talk to someone, to share how they feel, and know that they can help.”
Bex, explained Rebecca, is a special person who appears to children who need her help in the series.
“She visits a number of children who are suffering from various issues related to their mental health and encourages them to talk to her and others.”
Producer Nia Ceidiog said Rebecca gives a masterful performance as Bex.
Nia said: “We saw a lot of actors for the part and Rebecca was excellent.
“Her performance is understated but strong and very realistic. The children in the show thought she was very cool.”
She added the programme is aimed at children aged eight to 12 years.
She hopes parents will watch Bex with their children, providing them with an opportunity to open up discussion on mental health topics.
“The fictional dramas are challenging but realistic and the conditions portrayed are serious but Bex brings hope,” Nia said.
“The children go through a lot but we’ve done that with help from the experts – we don’t want to trigger anything in anyone but we have tried to be honest.”
Ceidiog, which has won Bafta awards for previous pioneering children’s television programmes, has been provided with support from the Welsh Government to provide educational resources to accompany the series.
Nia added there will be a podcast with children talking about their experiences, and a special section for teachers only, offering webinars and so on, as well as a welfare section for them on how to deal with their own lives helping them to be more able to help children.
Sioned Geraint, S4C’s Commissioner for Children and Learners, said: “This series is groundbreaking in the way it deals with children’s mental health, and it is hoped that it will open the door for family discussion about mental health, which is such an important thing.
“It’s a pleasure to see talented young actors, most of them new faces to the screen, starring.”
The eight-part-series started on S4C last Tuesday at 6.30pm.
English and Welsh subtitles are available and all eight episodes will be available to view on demand on S4Clic.