This March a new drama series will begin on S4C – a completely new mystery series, where suburban life comes under the spotlight.
35 Diwrnod (35 Days) will start on S4C on Sunday 23 March, 2014. Over eight episodes we’ll follow the thrilling mystery, presented in a new method of storytelling which will keep us at the edge of our seats, as each character comes under suspicion.
The series is written by the BAFTA Cymru winning scriptwriter Siwan Jones and the award-winning novelist and scriptwriter Wiliam Owen Roberts. It’s produced by Apollo TV, part of Boom Pictures Cymru, and produced by Paul Jones.
The story begins with a body of a young woman in her home on a well-off suburban housing estate.
We’re then immediately thrown back 35 days, to the day the woman moves to the estate. From that day until her death, 35 days later, we’ll unlock her past and get to know her new neighbours, and the secrets they keep on the estate of Crud yr Awel.
Life is not all it seems on the cul-de-sac. Sins and secrets lurk behind the manicured lawns. Gradually, as the days tick by, normal life begins to unravel and cracks appear in the perfect facades – all sparked by the mysterious young woman who has come to live among them. Who is she? Why is she here? And why do so many of the neighbours wish her ill?
Gwawr Martha Lloyd, S4C’s Drama Content Commissioner, says “This is a new drama which has an original way of telling a murder story. The secrets of the estate will keep us on our toes – as we try to piece together what happened to the young woman; how she died and who is responsible.”
Award winning authors, Siwan Jones and Wiliam Owen Roberts, say that the intention was to create a drama which allows the viewers to play the role of detective.
Siwan Jones and Wiliam Owen Roberts says; “We have tried to create the traditional detective genre but have turned it inside out. The viewers are the ones who will analyse the clues and events.
“We will sustain the mystery about the body until the very end and let the viewers solve the different motives by attempting to understand the suggestions we’ve planted here and there. We’ve also mislead and teased with suggestions and secrets which could be significant – or then again, not.”
And the truth about her death is a closely guarded secret. Only a handful of people were told the result of the story, and the truth only shared with the cast and crew in the final stages of filming.
Paul Jones, series producer said, “It was vital to protect the identity of the culprit in order to maintain the authenticity of the story. The events of the drama take place before the discovery of a body, so the characters are oblivious to the tragedy that’s ahead of them.
“In 35 days time, one of them, or even several of them, will be held responsible for her fate, but none of them know it yet! It’s up to the viewers to make sense of the circumstances and interpret what they wish from the clues we lay before them.”
Over eight episodes we'll follow the thrilling mystery, presented in this new method of storytelling. They indeed promise, this will keep us at the edge of our seats, as each character comes under scrutiny and the drama unfolds. English subtitles will be available.
I was lucky enough to watch much of the filming of this and stand testament to this sound byte. A great combination of actors and script will create a crime drama worthy to follow and surpass hinterland.
