The Welsh Narrative -- again

Last year we had a number of posts on this blog about the requirement placed on the TV and radio broadcasters in Wales to "represent" Wales to both the people of Wales and the big wide world beyond.  We suggested the following as one brief summary of the narrative:

"Wales is two hours and a million miles away -- a small country on the Celtic fringe of Europe. The country’s green acres have seen a valiant struggle for self determination against a powerful and predatory neighbour.  From the days of its ancient myths and native princes, to the ring of castles built by its conquerors, to its soaring rocky peaks and wild coasts, to its rich bardic and linguistic heritage, and the coal and iron that forged a global industrial revolution, Wales has always been a nation of survivors.  Melancholia features large in the national psyche -- but so does euphoria, and the old mystics talked of two fighting dragons.  Welsh people still have a powerful sense of place and an instinct for subversion and social justice.  They still have an abiding fondness for family histories, mysteries and legends, poetry and music, ceremonial and eccentric traditions.  And in Wales you will find a living language, an open-hearted generosity of spirit, a real sense of mischief, and the warmest of welcomes."

This is the poetic one.  Other versions are more mundane.....

How much progress has been made in 2017 in fulfilling the requirement to represent something like this in the TV output?  Very little, I think.  For a start, there is no costume drama which might explore the historical side of this story.   Yes, Welshness is portrayed in series like "Hinterland" and no doubt in the new series to be shown in the coming months -- but since we are talking essentially about thrillers and crime dramas, we are talking about human beings, some good and some bad, caught in challenging situations and having to make difficult decisions in order to extricate themselves.  The settings for stories like these could be anywhere.  True, the backdrop of the Port Talbot Steelworks is different from the backdrop of a container depot in Felixtowe,  but what do the story characters and the storylines tell us about Wales?  Sometimes a bit, and sometimes not much.......

So forgive me, but I'm going to carry on banging on about this, because I think Wales is consistently undersold  by the politicians, the broadcasters and the programme makers.......