The ovens stop at Valley Bara when the parent company folds, and the Trefynydd villagers who have kneaded dough there for decades are suddenly on the dole. Eve Myles plays Sarah, the bride-to-be caught between loyalty to her ex-boyfriend Rob (Matthew Gravelle), now co-managing a last-ditch worker co-op, and her fiancé's urge to leave for a safer life. Gareth Jewell's wide-boy Owen supplies the reckless optimism that keeps the bakery doors open, while Mark Lewis Jones's Pete watches his livelihood crumble with a miner's stoicism.
Across two short series the co-op fights for the Capaldi contract, survives Rob's vanishing act, and faces a vote that could halve the workforce, all while Rich and Shelley throw budget stag and hen nights to keep despair at bay. The show was shot in the Caerphilly valleys, used a largely Welsh cast and crew, and earned Eve Myles a BAFTA Cymru nomination for Best Actress. Critics praised its authentic blue-collar tone; The Western Mail called it "a poignant drama... which will strike a chord with so many people, particularly in these times of recession", while The Stage argued the whole UK deserved to see it. The first run averaged 294,000 viewers on BBC One Wales, making it the channel's second most-watched home-grown drama of 2010/11.
Production Details
BBC One / 2 Seasons / 6 Episodes / 2011
Writer(s): Helen Raynor
Main Cast
Eve Myles as Sarah
Gareth Jewell as Owen
Matthew Gravelle as Rob
Boyd Clack as Gwynfor
Mark Lewis Jones as Pete
Cara Readle as Elen
Steven Meo as Rich
Eiry Hughes as Karen
Amy Morgan as Shelly
Richard Corgan as Dave
Mali Harries as Lucy
Joshua Jenkins as Nathan
