Entertainment

The Pembrokeshire Murders: Episode 1 review

Published

5 years ago

January 11, 2021

TONIGHT, Monday January 11, sees the first episode in ITV’s adaptation of ‘The Pembrokeshire Murders’.
A slick ITV production from the opening shot, ‘The Pembrokeshire Murders’ is a story that I’m surprised it’s taken this long to see dramatised.
Luke Evans cuts a stoic figure as SIO Steve Wilkins, trying to find his way back into his old life after returning from London and into the life of his son whilst investigating John Cooper, Wilkins’ story serves as a great opposite to the father-son struggle we get a sense of taking place between John and Andrew Cooper.
Evans gives a physical presence and a single mindedness to Wilkins that, without doubt, helped him convict Cooper but also threatened to derail his attempts to put things back together with his son. Evans plays Wilkins as vulnerable but strong, masculine but not toxic, solitary but a great team-player, distant but involved enough to keep his team motivated when the going gets tough. It’s a layered performance that steers clear enough of cop show stereotypes whilst, over the course of the series, embracing nearly all of them in a fresh way.
‘The Pembrokeshire Murders’ doesn’t hang about, it isn’t long before Wilkins is putting together a team under the code name of Operation Ottawa to investigate Coopers’ links to the Scoveston Park, Coastal Path and Nolton Hill Estate crimes.

Operation Ottawa: the team that cracked the case in the new ITV drama

First on Wilkins’ list is DI Ella Richards, Alexandria Riley does a great job bringing some heart and concern to a character that so easily could’ve become lost along the way. Richards was clearly emotionally affected by the Nolton Hill events and even admits to keeping tabs on the victims 10 years later. It’s little moments like that that elevate this drama above a mere cop show, that kind of professional concern feels very Pembrokeshire and Riley’s performance instantly makes Richards feel like the beating emotional heart of Operation Ottawa.
The insights we have into the life of Andrew Cooper, expertly portrayed by Oliver Ryan, help keeps the drama grounded. From seeing him struggle with his shopping to wincing in pain during physiotherapy, Andrew Cooper is portrayed as a physically and emotionally fragile man struggling to get by having been shunned by both of his parents.
It was quite clear that the Nolton Hill parts of this episode were filmed in Swansea but it didn’t hurt my enjoyment and was done to provide as much protection for the victims and their families as possible, so you can’t really complain about that choice of location change.
Caroline Berry’s Pat Cooper gets our sympathy from one of her first scenes as she berated by her husband when visiting him in prison. A subtle turn from Berry, her Pat is a nervous, fraught figure clearly struggling with the idea that John Cooper will soon be out on parole but someone so caught up or lost in Cooper’s web of lies that there simply isn’t a way out. It’s easy to forget that Pat was a victim of Cooper as well as an accomplice in silence, but never once does Berry’s Pat feel like a bad person, she’s simply between a rock and a hard place.

Caroline Berry as Pat Cooper (L) and Oliver Ryan as Andrew Cooper (R)

John Cooper himself is played by an in-his-element Keith Allen. He plays Cooper as a restrained, powder keg of pent-up aggression just waiting for someone to light his fuse. His Cooper plays mind games, manipulates and controls, even from behind bars.
Allen it seems is having so much fun portraying John Cooper that sometimes his regular accent grins through his assumed South Pembrokeshire-twang but not for long and so much of Allen’s John Cooper is communicated through the eyes that it’s easy not to notice those momentary lapses and when he gets the accent spot on, it’s chilling.
A solid start to ITV’s three part adaptation, ‘The Pembrokeshire Murders’ plot will only thicken from here. What could’ve been an empty police procedural drama is elevated by great performances all around and seeing Luke Evans driving across the Cleddau Bridge was a very cool image to remind us all exactly how local these horrendous crimes were. 4/5

Entertainment

Harbour Fest to bring music, food and maritime magic to Milford Waterfront

Published

10 hours ago

June 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Free family festival will celebrate Milford Haven’s seafaring history and coastal community

MILFORD WATERFRONT will burst into life on Saturday, June 27, as the first Harbour Fest sails into town for a day of music, food, family fun and maritime celebration.

The free event will run from 10:00am to 6:00pm at Mackerel Quay and across the waterfront, bringing together local traders, live entertainment, coastal organisations and independent businesses for a packed day beside the water.

Organisers say the festival will celebrate everything that makes Milford Haven special, from its seafaring history and working harbour to its growing reputation as a destination for food, shopping, culture and family days out.

Visitors will be able to browse stalls from local makers and producers, enjoy street food and live performances, and explore a Marine Zone featuring organisations involved in sea safety, marine conservation and coastal life.

The Marine Zone will include Seagrass Network Cymru / Project Seagrass, Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, Dyfed-Powys Police, NCI Wooltack Point, Rudders Marine Training, RNLI Milford Haven and RNLI Angle Lifeboat.

RNLI Angle Lifeboat is expected to be based on the Mackerel Stage, while the Sea Cadets will be giving rope-tying displays at Milford Haven Museum, where craft activities will also be taking place.

Live entertainment will run throughout the day, with performances from Tom & Abz, Will Scott, Ryan Bristow, Milford Haven Town Band, Kyle Kirkhouse and ShantyJacs Sea Shanties.

Businesses across the waterfront are also joining in. All Pets Vet Care will hold a family-friendly open day with a bouncy castle, treasure hunts, quizzes, craft activities and behind-the-scenes tours. Aurora Artisan Crafts will host vocal performances, Biffy’s Bar & Restaurant will feature solo acoustic music from Laurence Lewis, and Martha’s Vineyard will offer seafood street food with live music from Ryan Bristow and Steve Bartram.

At Tŷ Milford Waterfront’s outdoor plaza there will be face painting, children’s activities, pop-up artists and an afternoon DJ set, while Phoenix Bowl and Pirate Pete’s Adventure Play will have inflatables and glitter tattoos outside.

The Waterfront Gallery will host introduction to felt-making workshops with textile artist Carole Fletcher, giving participants the chance to create a woollen felt flower pin brooch or phone/glasses case. The workshops start at 10:30am, 1:00pm and 3:30pm and cost £5 per person.

A wide range of traders will also be attending, including 5th Flock Spirits Co, Cinnamon Grove Distillery, Cwm Deri Wines & Liqueurs, Ferncraft, Get Loaded, J.J. Pottery, Major Nuts, Orange Garden Design, Pembrokeshire Chilli Farm, Pembrokeshire Gold, Pembrokeshire Lottery, Plumstone Welshcakes and SlateArtSJ.

With music drifting across the marina, food stalls lining the waterfront and lifeboats, sea safety teams and coastal groups adding a strong maritime flavour, Harbour Fest is expected to bring a lively summer atmosphere to one of Pembrokeshire’s best-known waterside destinations.

Organisers say the event is suitable for families, friends and visitors of all ages, with plenty to see and do throughout the day.

Photo caption: Harbour Fest will take place at Milford Waterfront on Saturday, June 27 (Pic: Milford Waterfront).

Entertainment

Filming begins on new Welsh BBC comedy starring Ruth Jones and Steve Speirs

Published

11 hours ago

June 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A HEARTWARMING new Welsh BBC comedy co-written by Ruth Jones and Steve Speirs has started filming in South Wales.

Better Later, a six-part series for BBC iPlayer, BBC One and BBC One Wales, will explore the unexpected joys of an unlikely friendship.

The comedy stars Jones and Speirs as two people who meet at a knee trauma clinic. Retired teacher Clive, played by Speirs, is 60, widowed and facing a new chapter in life. Shelley Anne, played by Jones, is a 55-year-old environmental health officer going through a bitter divorce.

The series is being filmed in and around South Wales, including the Brecon Beacons, and is set in the fictional village of Brynfach.

Ruth Jones said: “In a funny way this show has been 35 years in the making, which is when I first met Steve. It’s not that we’re slow writers, it’s just that we’ve been up to other things. It’s fantastic to be back in front of the camera with him again.”

Steve Speirs said: “Our first time acting together for quite a long time. Ruth makes me laugh more than anyone and I’m a terrible giggler. This could be a long shoot.”

Better Later has been commissioned by BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Comedy and is being made by Tidy Productions in association with BBC Studios Comedy, with support from Creative Wales.

The series was commissioned by Nick Andrews, Head of Commissioning at BBC Cymru Wales, and Jon Petrie, Director of Comedy at the BBC. The commissioning editors are Emma Lawson and Paul Forde.

Executive producers are Sarah Fraser for Tidy Productions and Josh Cole for BBC Studios Comedy. The producer is Owen Bell and the director is Simon Massey.

Transmission details will be announced in due course.

Entertainment

Saundersfoot film to premiere where it was made

Published

4 days ago

June 17, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A PEMBROKESHIRE-made feature film is to receive its big-screen premiere next month in the very harbour where much of it was shot.

Near and Distant Things, written and directed by Saundersfoot filmmaker Emily Batty, will be shown outdoors at Saundersfoot Harbour on Saturday, July 18, as part of the Torch Theatre’s Sunset Cinema series.

The drama, filmed in summer 2025, tells the story of a grieving fisherman trying to support his daughter after she returns home, while experiencing dreamlike visions of his late wife.

The film makes strong use of the Saundersfoot landscape, with scenes filmed at the harbour, The Royal Oak pub, Monkstone Point and other familiar local locations.

Emily, 22, who grew up in Saundersfoot and recently graduated from the University of Oxford with a geography degree, has described the project as “a love letter to home”.

She said: “Watching a film set in Saundersfoot, with recognisable faces and locations on screen, in the heart of the harbour itself where we filmed many scenes, feels incredibly full-circle.

***The crew pause for a team-photo (Pic: Rachell Lambert Photography)***

“I can’t wait to share that experience with people.”

The film was made with the support of a small team and a largely local cast and crew.

Emily said the production had only been possible because of the “incredible amount of local support” received during filming.

She also praised composer and sound designer Zach Worthington, whose work helped shape the atmosphere of the film.

She said: “The score and soundtrack feel so entangled with the landscape of home.

“It’s a little bit folk, a little bit Celtic, and rather emotional.”

Emily, who has written and directed the film under the name Emily Florence, said some of the ideas behind the film had been with her for several years.

***Saundersfoot Harbour was used as a filming location and will now host the premiere (Pic: Rachell Lambert Photography)***

She said: “Some of the images within the film have been in my head since I was 18.”

She added that Pembrokeshire remains a major source of inspiration for her future work.

“I have a couple of screenplays in the works – I never stop writing – and I’m looking to get agented,” she said.

“I’m excited to continue to tell stories, in whatever capacity that may be.

“I can say that Pembrokeshire is still my muse, and I don’t think I’m done telling stories about home.”

The outdoor screening will take place on the harbour decking, with gates opening at 6:00pm and the film beginning at 7:00pm.

The film is rated PG, but includes themes of bereavement, mental health, domestic abuse and references to suicide which some viewers may find upsetting.

Emily said she hoped the premiere would be a moment of shared pride for the village.

She said: “So many people helped bring this film to life.

“There’s something very special about sharing a story set in Saundersfoot, surrounded by the landscape that inspired it.”

Tickets are available through the Torch Theatre website, with advance booking recommended.