Keeping Faith (TV series)


Keeping Faith is a thriller television series set in Wales created by Matthew Hall and produced by Vox Pictures. Un Bore Mercher was first broadcast on S4C on 5 November 2017. Pip Broughton directed six of the eight episodes; Andy Newbery the other two. The series stars Eve Myles as Faith Howells, a solicitor at a family-run law firm whose husband, Evan, disappears whilst she is on maternity leave following the birth of their third child. The first series co-stars Hannah Daniel, Matthew Gravelle, Bradley Freegard, Mark Lewis Jones, Mali Harries and Aneirin Hughes.
The series was filmed concurrently in Welsh and in English. This programme is the second in a season of bilingual dramas set to premiere back-to-back on S4C. The initial Welsh language broadcasts on S4C carried entirely English subtitles, while repeat airings carried encoded English subtitles. The series has been available on the BBC iPlayer as part of the BBC's ongoing relationship with S4C.
Renamed Keeping Faith, the English version premiered on BBC Wales on 13 February 2018. The show was extremely popular in Wales, with an average of 300,000 viewers per episode, making it the most popular show on BBC Wales for over 25 years. It also became the most downloaded non-network show on BBC iPlayer, with over 8.5 million downloads as at May 2018.
On 15 June 2018, the BBC announced that Keeping Faith would be shown across the UK on BBC One, beginning on 10 July 2018. The Head of Commissioning for BBC Wales, Nick Andrews, said that the series had been "a real gem from start to finish", and testament to the strength of drama coming out of Wales.
Production of Keeping Faith second series began in September 2018 and broadcasting as Un Bore Mercher in Wales began on S4C on 12 May 2019 and nationally on BBC One on 23 July 2019.

Critical reception

The series has generally received favourable responses and was described in The Guardian as, "a bit like Big Little Lies relocated to rural Wales". As Un Bore Mercher, the Welsh version of the series gained strong reviews. Gary Raymond, in Wales Arts Review, wrote: "...particularly interesting to see a genuine diamond emerge from the coalface in the form of Keeping Faith" and "Social media opinion has been a little more approving" .
Lydia Morris at the UK Daily Post wrote that the programme "...has already proved a hit with TV audiences". A review in Grazia magazine was headed "Like Broadchurch when it was good, Welsh production Keeping Faith is a TV trailblazer" and was generous with its praise. Writing in The Times, Nicole Wynne described it as "...the dual-language drama that has got box-set Britain gripped". On 2 May 2018, Stuart Heritage of the i warned, "Watch this game-changing thriller while you still can". Jon Coates in the Daily Express wrote, "Keeping Faith's unprecedented success... has led to a primetime run on BBC One starting on Thursday... with a second series due to begin filming this autumn." The Guardian review in July 2018, "... already a huge iPlayer hit, this Carmarthen-set drama about a vanished husband is realistic and beautifully shot... it looks real and brilliant and Welsh". 'crimefictionlover' wrote: "The BBC has a secret... it's worth seeking out".
The first series won three Welsh BAFTAs in 2018: Best Actress, Best Writer and Original Music.

Cast

Series 1 (2017)

Series 2 (2019)

Production

Set in the fictional town of Abercorran, filming started in the summer of 2017 in Carmarthenshire, with exterior views of Faith's home situated high up overlooking the estuary and the castle of Laugharne. Many scenes were shot in Laugharne, also in Carmarthen; the main square and the historic Guildhall was used as a courtroom. Other courtroom scenes feature the former courthouse at Swansea. Studio scenes were filmed at Sony UK Technology Centre's Ffilm Factory 35 in Pencoed. The Vale of Glamorgan, Pontardawe and Swansea were other filming locations.
Vox pictures produced the drama with the aid of Nevision, Cinematic Productions, Soundworks and About Premium Content. The production of the programme was funded through the Welsh Government's Media Investment Budget, which is advised by Pinewood Pictures, S4C and BBC Wales. Location assistance was provided by Wales Screen, part of the Welsh Government's creative industries team, helping to maximise the economic benefits for Wales.
Gwawr Martha Lloyd, S4C Drama Content Commissioner, said of the series; "We're very excited about this new and original series that will be premiering on S4C this autumn. With a stellar cast and a completely compelling story, plot and setting, we're hoping the audience will grow to love the world and the characters of Un Bore Mercher as much as we in S4C have as we worked to develop the series. The series intends to take the viewer on a thrilling, emotional and warm journey, which will pull at their heart-strings but will also make them smile along the way."

Second series

With the final episode of Series 1 ending with a cliff-hanger, Huw Thomas, the BBC Wales arts and media correspondent, wrote on 6 May 2018, "A second series is in development." The second series was commissioned later that year and first aired in Welsh on S4C on 12 May 2019 and in English on BBC One in July–August.

Music

Six original songs were composed for the series by singer-songwriter Amy Wadge. The English and Welsh soundtracks were released as EPs on iTunes on Friday 9 March 2018. The English versions are sung by Amy Wadge and the Welsh versions by Ela Hughes. The score music was written by Laurence Love Greed.