BritBox Plants Offbeat Welsh Drama 'Tree on a Hill' In February Lineup
Nia Roberts and Rhodri Meilir in "Tree on a Hill"
(Photo: Courtesy of BritBox)
If you love Wales and Welsh culture but have somehow only ever managed to watch Welcome to Wrexham, it’s time to fix your life. Welsh dramas are growing in terms of both volume and popularity. With the rise of what’s commonly referred to as “Welsh noir,” stories like Rough Cut (Dal y Mellt), The One That Got Away (Cleddau), and Hidden are more popular than ever. Many of them are shot in dual languages (yes, that essentially means making the whole show twice) and play key roles in helping bring Welsh culture — and specifically the Welsh language —back into the mainstream.
The latest Welsh series to join their ranks and cross the pond is Tree on a Hill (Pren ar y Bryn), a dark comedy-drama that premiered to strong reviews on the BBC last year. It was shot in both English and Welsh. The series hails from Ed Thomas, creator of the popular police procedural Hinterland (Y Gwyll), and was filmed on location in Ystradgynlais at the edge of the Brecon Beacons. Described as a show “laced with humor and a touch of the absurd,” Tree on a Hill embraces the characters, communities, and landscapes of its unique setting.
Nia Roberts (Steeltown Murders) and Rhodri Meilir (In My Skin) star as Clive and Margaret Lewis, an oddball married couple whose quiet lives are changed forever when they find themselves on the wrong side of the law.
“There is a plot that will keep people on the edge of their seats, but it’s also a drama about middle-aged people – something that we don’t see enough,” Roberts said. “It’s quirky, and it’s going to make people cry, laugh… It’s unique!”
Here's the series synopsis.
Clive and Margaret live a quiet life in the rural Welsh town of Penwyllt. It’s a gentle, chocolate-box-like place, but Clive is aware things are changing and cracks in the idyllic town are starting to show: the police are investigating mysterious fires in the countryside, and he can’t help but feel something darker could be going on. When Margaret’s sister and her husband Glyn go on holiday, Clive says he’ll cat sit.
One night, Clive and Margaret sneak over to the house and drink like naughty teenagers. But when Glyn surprises them by coming home early, in her shock and unaware it is him, Margaret makes a split decision and smashes a bottle over his head, accidentally killing him. This one act turns their lives upside down and sets off a catalogue of disasters and curious happenings.
Alongside Meilir and Roberts, the series cast also includes Richard Harrington (The Crown), Hannah Daniel (Keeping Faith), Richard Lynch (The Hollow Crown), Suzanne Packer (The Bay), William Thomas (Torchwood), Rhordri Evan (Mudtown/Ar y Ffin), Steffan Cennyd (The Pembrokeshire Murders), and Jacob Ifan (Rogue Heroes).
Thomas wrote all six episodes of Tree on a Hill, a Fiction Factory co-production with S4C, BBC Wales, and All3Media International, with support from Tinopolis and the Welsh Government via Creative Wales. “I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to tell this big little story about change, set and shot in the place I grew up at the edge of the Brecon Beacons in the Swansea Valley," Thomas said when the series was announced. "It’s a world where resilience and a healthy sense of the absurd is the only thing that will get you through when the situation you find yourself in is desperate - but not serious.”
All six episodes of Tree on a Hill (Pren ar y Bryn) will premiere on BritBox on Tuesday, February 4, 2025.
