An outspoken pensioner from Gwynedd is proving to be a sparky performer on TV.<\/p>\n
Retired electrician John Williams, 79, from Porthmadog, has gained celebrity status with his hilarious, unvarnished views on the Welsh language version of Gogglebox.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s teamed up with his 24 year old grandson, Cian, for S4C\u2019s new hit show, Gogglebocs Cymru, that goes out on Wednesday nights at 9pm.<\/p>\n
TV location manager Cian\u00a0 admits it\u2019s his grandad who\u2019s getting the lion\u2019s share of the attention from the viewing public.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cMy grandad\u2019s a local character and is already well-known around Porthmadog. He\u2019s known for his humour and it\u2019s nice to share a bit of it because I always think he\u2019s a wasted talent.<\/p>\n
\u201cI normally get heckled locally about grandad and what he\u2019s up to anyway. One person asked me the other day how it feels to live in my grandad\u2019s shadow! There\u2019s no doubt about it, he\u2019s definitely the \u2018favourite\u2019 out of the both of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
John has a reputation for saying what he thinks which can leave his grandson sitting on the edge of his seat at times.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the nature of his age, sometimes he has a different view of the world than I do \u2013 I\u2019m so glad it\u2019s not live! Otherwise, he has been on his best behaviour and I do warn him a little before he starts filming!\u201d admitted Cian.<\/p>\n
\u201cWherever you are, it\u2019s nice to look through people\u2019s windows. The show\u2019s not scripted and so people get to know you and when they do like you, it\u2019s because of who you are.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a real mix from people learning Welsh to those who use it as a first language. It\u2019s a great confidence boost for the people learning Welsh and for the people learning and watching this back home \u2013 I\u2019ve seen lots of people on Twitter saying they\u2019ve been watching Gogglebocs because they feel it makes it easier to learn the Welsh language.\u201d<\/p>\n
S4C commissioned independent production firms Cwmni Da and Chwarel, both based in North Wales, to co-produce the first ever Welsh language version of Channel 4\u2019s and Studio Lambert\u2019s top-rated format in the autumn.<\/p>\n
The inaugural show was broadcast in the first week of November with the new series hitting screens on Wednesday, January 4, after the celebrity special on December 28.<\/p>\n
It is the first time Studio Lambert and Channel 4 have licensed the franchise to another UK-based broadcaster.<\/p>\n
Series producer Huw Maredudd said the show was already going down well with viewers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first block was very successful and popular thanks in no small part to our cast and all the hard work of the crews,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously we were trying to represent as broad a spectrum of the Welsh community as possible and so we have people of all ages from John in his 70s through to our youngest cast member, Olivia, who\u2019s 16.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels as if we are watching with them, so they\u2019ve really come into their own, and they\u2019ve all enjoyed the experience which is the most important thing. We get to enjoy them enjoying themselves as viewers at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of work went into making sure the entire cast complemented each other and that they all worked on their own individually as well as a full patchwork too.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, we wanted to give everyone the opportunity to be involved but they also had to justify their place. We didn\u2019t treat anyone any differently to anyone else, they are there because they are funny and bubbly and part of everyday Welsh life.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully, we\u2019ll be back later in the year with a cast I hope will have become old friends to the audience by then. We\u2019re looking forward to doing a lot more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gogglebocs cast member Glain Jones and partner of 14 years Dafydd Jones, from Denbigh, have also had to share the limelight \u2013 with their pet dog Tecwyn.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone likes Tecwyn \u2013 I actually think they like the dog more than us,\u201d admitted 62-year-old Glain, who works part-time assessing carers for the North East Wales Carers Information Service (NEWCIS).<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a white Bichon Westie and is the star of the show. We\u2019ve been cleaning his teeth on the programme as he had to have some removed and putting his Christmas coat on \u2013 he sits in between us and when he gets bored he goes off into the corner.\u201d<\/p>\n
Glain, who grew up on a farm and has lived in Denbigh for the past 40 years, said she had applied to the show after her partner retired from a part-time job driving children to a local school.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hardly ever agree on anything. I like something, he likes other things,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thought that combination would be good for the show. That hasn\u2019t really come across yet but the more shows we do the more comfortable we\u2019ll be.<\/p>\n
\u201cDafydd works part-time on the estate\u2019s corner shop, Siop y Parc, and has had people coming up and asking for his autograph. It\u2019s tongue and cheek really although when I was in M&S in Ellesmere Port, I rang Dafydd in the queue to ask where he was in Welsh and a woman in front of me turned around and said \u2018is your name Glain and are you on Gogglebocs\u2019? She recognised my voice which is very random.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the show being in Welsh, you have to be careful. Wales is a small, close-knit community and I\u2019ve got such an unusual name, that doesn\u2019t help. You could be vilified on Twitter talking about a decent Welsh person!\u201d<\/p>\n
Gogglebocs Cymru can be seen on S4C at 9pm on Wednesdays.<\/strong><\/p>\n