Llan-ar-goll-en is a Welsh mixed mediachildren's television series created by Siwan Jobbins for S4C, and produced by Twt Productions and Cwmni Da. The series follows the adventures of two detectives; human Prys ar Frys and Ceri the Dog-tective, who manage to solve many mysteries in the titular village. It ran for 2 series with 51 episodes from 23 December 2013 to 14 March 2016. The series was filmed in Portmeirion, Wales, and notably features animated animal characters interacting with a live action environment. The animation was done by Cloth Cat Animation.
Plot
In the small, crazy village of Llan-ar-goll-en, Wales, things are known to go missing all the time. Luckily for its citizens in dire need, two detectives that are very different from each other; Prys ar Frys the human, and his animated dog sidekick, Ceri, are known for solving mysteries and finding lost things. Whenever there's trouble, a siren is sounded and Prys and Ceri are immediately on the case.
Characters
Humans
Prys ar Frys is a detective, and Ceri's human friend. He is always in a rush as he tends to jump to conclusions. He loves food, and especially chips. Prys has a crush on Tara, and her feelings about him are mutual.
Radli Migins is a postman with a magic, flying bike named Elsi. He often crashes his bike.
Barti Felyn is a mischevous, unintelligible pirate who lives on a boat. His cat is Ianto.
Ceri the Dog-tective is Prys' dog friend. She's more sensible and thinks things through. Her cousin is Caradog.
Ianto is Barti's yellow pirate-cat who sometimes translates what his unintelligible owner is saying.
Sugar Lump is Mrs. Tomos' red cat. Unlike Ceri and Ianto, he doesn't talk, but rather makes cat noises.
Production
Llan-ar-goll-en was conceived by Siwan Jobbins and is a co-production between Twt Productions and Cwmni Da, with animation services provided by Cloth Cat Animation. The series is both live action and animation, the latter of which was used for animal characters like Ceri the Dog-tective and her cousin Caradog, Ianto, and Sugar Lumps. The series was shot in the coastal village of Portmeirion, Wales. The main title was composed by Dyfan Jones and performed by Rhydian Bowen Phillips, with the choir performed by the students of Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Santes Tudful.
Episodes
All 51 episodes aired on S4C in Welsh with English subtitles made available. The first series aired from 23 December 2013 to 17 November 2014 with 26 episodes. A Christmas special, and the start of the second series, aired on 24 December 2014, and the first half of the series started regularly airing from 2 March to 18 May 2015. Another Christmas special aired on 24 December 2015, and the rest of the series continued from 4 January to 14 March 2016 with 25 episodes.
Interactive apps and e-books were created for Llan-ar-goll-en by Cloth Cat's sister company, Thud Media. They were made available on the iTunes Appstore and Google Play.
