BBC Cymru Wales, BBC Network and Creative Wales have awarded four Wales-based production companies funding to develop ideas for a new Factual Entertainment series

BBC CYMRU WALES, BBC Network, and Creative Wales announced the launch of a new development fund for a Factual Entertainment series at the Wales Media Summit last year.

Production companies with a substantive base in Wales were invited to pitch bold, original ideas that celebrate Welsh creativity while delivering unforgettable entertainment to audiences across the UK.

Boom, Curve Media, South Shore and Tŷ’r Ddraig have successfully been awarded funding to further develop their ideas for a new Factual Entertainment series. Each company will receive £10,000 of funding, with development starting in the coming weeks.

Nick Andrews, Head of Commissioning BBC Cymru Wales, said: “We were really impressed by the variety and volume of the submissions we received – companies really responded to our call for ideas for an ambitious, returnable format, that surprises, unites, and captivates. We’re so excited to be working with the four successful companies, and we’re looking forward to seeing how their ideas develop further.”

Catherine Catton, Head of Commissioning, Factual Entertainment and Events, said: “Made in Wales is a collaboration to find a major new factual entertainment series that will harness the best of Welsh creativity and resonate across the UK. We are really looking forward to working with brilliant Welsh talent to come up with the next big thing.”

Joedi Langley, Interim Head of Creative Wales, said: “This announcement follows a recently published and updated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Creative Wales and BBC, a commitment between the two organisations to work together to support the vibrant, diverse, world-class screen industries in Wales.

“This new development funding will do just that – create new opportunities for Welsh based production companies to develop exciting, original ideas for factual content. Congratulations to the indies, we look forward to seeing what comes next!”

The total funding of £40,000 has been provided by BBC Cymru Wales, BBC Network and the Welsh Government via Creative Wales.

RAPUNZEL, Prince Nathaniel of Neyland, Mother Gothel, Zephyr the Puffin, Periwinkle and Belinda Beehive brought the Torch Theatre stage to life over the festive period with the hair-larious, zany pantomime Rapunzel.

The professional cast, featuring plenty of local talent, delivered a high-energy production that delighted audiences of all ages from across Pembrokeshire and beyond.

Following the sell-out success of Beauty and the Beast and the hugely popular Jack and the Beanstalk in recent years, Torch Theatre Artistic Director Chelsey Gillard was once again praised for her latest production.

Torch Theatre community reviewers Val Ruloff and Liam Dearden said: “The script was buzzing with the humming sound of a swarm of jokes flying in thick and fast, bubbling to overflow (much like Periwinkle the Sea Sprite) and bursting with energy.”

They added: “The musical score by James Williams is superb. It is such a privilege to have original music composed especially for the Torch pantomime. The numbers brought the whole production to life all over again, just as did the costumes, sets, props, lighting and special effects.

“The music, in combination with the scenes and sets, gave rise to some great set pieces and double acts, including the fabulous Bay Wash pop/rock group in the making, featuring the vocal talents, phantom guitar and drum-playing skills of Prince Nathaniel of Neyland and Dame Belinda Beehive.”

Chelsey Gillard said: “It was uplifting seeing so many of you coming to see Rapunzel – from schools to families. We had more entries than ever into our design competition – over 400 – and we loved coming along on the Milford Lantern Parade.

“The whole company enjoyed having your help on their undersea adventure; booing, hissing, singing and dancing along.”

More than 3,000 school children from across Pembrokeshire saw the pantomime, with six schools successfully securing financial support to attend through the Arts Council of Wales Go and See Fund.

Tim Howe, Senior Manager for Youth and Community at the Torch, said: “We were thrilled to see our auditorium filled with so many young people this Christmas. We know that pantomime is often the first spark of theatrical magic for a young person.

“We are grateful to the Arts Council for recognising the important role we play in introducing young people to the arts and helping to make these visits possible. Our commitment to these students continues beyond the curtain call, as every school receives a dedicated resource pack to bring the themes of the panto to life in the classroom. We can’t wait to do it all again next year.”

With the festive curtain now closed, plans are already well under way for the Torch’s 2026 pantomime, Puss in Boots, featuring a whisker of Western adventure.

Audiences are invited to brush up on their line-dancing moves as Puss helps our heroes find fame and fur-tune in Wild West Wales.

An Early Bird offer is currently available for the brand-new pantomime, which promises original songs, hiss-terical humour and plenty of local references.

A Relaxed Environment Performance will take place on Saturday, December 19, at 2:00pm, with a BSL Interpreted Performance on Tuesday, December 22, at 6:00pm.

For more information or to book tickets, visit www.torchtheatre.co.uk or contact the Box Office on (01646) 695267.

First episode of The Truth About My Murder examines the 1996 Wentwood Forest killing of Tyrone France and the painstaking forensic work that helped identify him and secure justice

BBC WALES’ new true-crime series The Truth About My Murder begins on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, with an opening episode titled Bones in the Forest.

The programme is fronted by world-renowned forensic pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd, who uses pathology and modern forensic techniques to show how evidence found on a victim’s body can separate fact from fiction – and help police catch a killer. The series combines Shepherd’s analysis with testimony from detectives and the families left behind.

In the first episode, Shepherd revisits the 1996 murder of Tyrone France, a Newport man whose remains were discovered at Wentwood Forest, near Newport, south Wales.

Gwent Police were alerted to what was left of a fire at the crime scene. Officers found teeth, 343 small fragments of bone, and spent bullets. With so little intact, forensic investigators faced an extraordinary challenge: the fragments needed to be painstakingly examined and reconstructed in the pathology lab in the hope of identifying who the victim was.

Many of the pieces were from the body’s largest bone – the femur – and by piecing the fragments together through a complex process, pathologists were able to give police their first meaningful lead: an estimate of the victim’s approximate height.

A public appeal followed, prompting a breakthrough which led police to a name – Tyrone France, who had recently been reported missing.

The investigation then focused on Jason Preece, who came forward claiming to have been the last person to see Tyrone alive. As inconsistencies emerged, Preece offered a new account – describing a planned drug deal, an unexpected shooting, and the alleged involvement of two other men, Simon Spring and Dylan Watcyns.

At trial, the programme says, pathology played a central role in testing those accounts – including evidence about how Tyrone was shot, what happened next, and which version of events the forensic findings supported. The outcome, the episode claims, shocked police, journalists and local residents, and devastated Tyrone’s family, who remember him as their smiling “Baby Bear”.

The Truth About My Murder: Bones in the Forest airs on BBC Wales on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, from 10.40pm to 11.20pm.