Wales’ only Welsh-speaking drag queen will make television history when she celebrates St David’s Day.
Tina Sparkle will be spreading her stardust on an irreverent new game show on S4C which will nominate a new patron saint for Wales.
She will be the first ever drag queen to star on the Welsh language channel.
The show will be broadcast just after a ground-breaking documentary about the ultimate Welsh hero, Owain Glyndwr.Tina  – a “lot more refined and sparkly” than Lily Savage – will be sitting on her throne compiling a new Welsh dictionary in Dot Cym, a half hour game show which promotes Wales and the Welsh, but has a good laugh at the same time.
The show, which will be chaired by former football commentator Ian Gwyn Hughes, is the brainchild of Ceidiog Cyf, the award-winning TV production company set up by MD Nia Ceidiog in 1996. It’s being filmed at the  at the company’s new studio complex in Treforest.
Tina (Mark Goodman) started her career in Somerset 10 years ago when the drag act failed to turn up one night and Pontin’s Blue Coat entertainer Mark literally stepped into her high heels.
“I’d been doing stand-up comedy and some singing and this drag act went down really well, I was supposed to do 45 minutes but ended up on stage for one and a half hours,” said Mark.
European tours were followed by a regular slot at Minskys show bar in Cardiff.
But Mark is really excited by the new game show which he’s hoping will become a series.
“I’m going to be sitting on my throne with a laptop creating my own modern Welsh dictionary – called Tiniadur. I’m going to be Ian’s Debbie McGee!
“There’ll be a lot of banter between us because personally I think I should be running the show and not him. I’d never heard of him before!” said Mark.
“My stage name comes from the Australian comedy film about ballroom dancing, called ‘Strictly Dancing’. I think I’m the only Welsh speaking drag act in Wales,” said Caerphilly-born Mark.
“People like Danny LaRue and Lily Savage were my inspirations, but I’m a lot classier than Lily!”
The two competing panels on the show include ‘Coming of Age’ star, comedian Ceri Phillips, Welsh language champion and former Big Brother competitor Glyn Wise, and Donna Edwards who plays Britt Monk in Pobl y Cwm, on one team, and on the other, comedian Eirlys Bellin, Radio Cymru DJ Nia Medi and writer and comedian Tony Llewellyn.
Gaynor Davies, S4C’s Light Entertainment Editor said “We’re delighted to have Tina Sparkle in S4C’s firmament. She’s glamorous, cheeky and highly entertaining!. A new star is in the ascendant!”
Ceidiog Cyf managing director Nia explained: “It’s going to be a panel game about Wales and the Welsh which is full of laughs and with an historic and hysterical performance by the very glamorous Tina Sparkle.
“The show’s chaired by Ian who everyone will remember as a sports reporter but who is now the Head of Public Affairs at the Welsh FA.
“In one of the games we will get the panel’s verdict on how members of the public interpret Welsh words. In another the panel will have to identify which guest is actually a real relative of a very, very famous Welsh person.
“Another will have our teams creating new Welsh words from English and other languages – and Tina will decide whether they can be allowed into her new dictionary. Then  especially for St David’s Day they will be asked to nominate a new patron saint for Wales.
“It’s all a bit of fun with Tina’s fairy dust spread over it. This is the very first production from our spanking new studio at Treforest. I think it’s important we have some fun and not get too worried about what some people say about the Welsh. It’s important that we promote ourselves and the Welsh language, but it’s also important we have some fun too.
“We hope this becomes a regular show and looking to the future I’m sure it will draw in new viewers.”
The half hour show will be broadcast on S4C on Tuesday, March 1, St David’s Day, at 10pm.

The post Drag Queen chooses new patron saint of Wales appeared first on .

It comes hot on the heels of being shortlisted for an international Rose d’Or Award for Y Diwrnod Mawr (The Big Day) which is the first ever documentary series for pre-school children. The first series, shown in S4C’s Cyw slot in the Spring, proved so popular that another 26 episodes were commissioned and are currently being broadcast on the channel. The series has been shortlisted in the Pre-School Live Action category along with three programmes from CBeebies, Grandpa in my Pocket, Big and Small and Something Special.

The glittering ceremony is being held at the London Hilton, Park Lane, on Sunday, November 28.

Nia’s company, Ceidiog Cyf, was set up in 1996, and has just moved into bigger premises in Rizla House, Pontypridd, where they are developing a new studio.

She said: “It has always been a dream of mine to make a documentary programme for very young children.

“Y Diwrnod Mawr tells real stories from the lives of real children – mainly in their own words.

“Children love to see other children on TV. I just want to tell their stories in an entertaining but real documentary.

“Y Diwrnod Mawr” manages to bridge the gap between entertainment and education, and Nia, who searched high and low for youngsters aged four to seven with interesting tales to tell, has found it very rewarding.

“It was difficult choosing which children to include – because they all have stories and are great. But it has been a real pleasure getting to spend time with the children and their families,” she said.

“I am really thrilled to have got this far, and whatever happens at the ceremony it is certainly  going to be a big day for us at Ceidiog.

“I’m a huge fan of the other three shortlisted programmes which are all broadcast on Cbeebies – it’s great to be on the same list as them.”

The news has delighted Siân Eirian, S4C’s Head of Children’s Services.

She said: “Y Diwrnod Mawr is a pioneering Welsh series which offers young children a taste of factual and documentary programmes – programmes that offer memorable and sometimes evocative experiences.

“This nomination proves that S4C’s significant investment in children’s programming has been a great success and it has made a substantial contribution to the Welsh language and cultural life in Wales.”

Nia’s story could have been completely different because her early career plans had nothing to do with television.

She recalled: “From about five years of age I was determined to be a French teacher. In fact it was almost an obsession which stayed with me until a few weeks before I graduated in French and Welsh at Aberystwyth,” she said.

Instead of going on to teacher-training she took up a drama course and subsequently spent a year as an actress with Cwmni Theatr Cymru before being asked to join HTV Wales as a presenter.

That was the start of her career in television which saw her become a well-known face in Wales.

It was during intervals in her continuity work on S4C in the 1980s that Nia started writing children’s stories which, after being illustrated, were used to help fill short slots between programmes – and that eventually resulted in the writing of the classic children’s series, FiremanSam/ Sam Tan.

She went on to gain valuable experience as a producer and enjoyed her work behind the camera.

“It was a case of feeling my way and gaining experience. I just love what I do – I’m very lucky.” she added.

Ceidiog delivers programmes in various genres including lifestyle, documentary and children’s programmes.

They made television history in 2008  after striking a deal with Al Jazeera Children’s Channel  over the pre-school series, Meees (Baaas) which is about a family of all-singing, all-dancing multi-racial sheep.

Al Jazeera Children’s Channel bought the first series and liked it so much that they decided to jointly fund the second and third ones in partnership with Ceidiog and S4C.

As founder and head of the company she is also delighted to have received the Investors in People award from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills.

“Ceidiog is a smallish , friendly company, with between six and nine employees but we employ many freelances who were also interviewed by the assessors,” said Nia.

“The award is a tribute to the entire team, all of whom make an important contribution,” she said. “It is all to do with the culture of the company, and we like to think that we treat everyone properly.”

“Investors in People is a quality benchmark – and recognition that we strive to do everything very well – from production to company practice.”

The post Big day for TV boss at the Baftas appeared first on .