The Valleys are Coming. So when do they Arrive?

I’ll be the first to admit that I was originally very excited to hear that MTV were focusing their new programme on The Valleys.

 

I thought it would be great television. I know my own town, Maesteg, holds some very interesting characters, many of which have influenced my own writing over the years. After hearing a number of stories about a friends ageing mother, I believed they were far too comical to keep to myself. After arranging to meet and chat with the lady herself, I created the character of Dilys, the main protagonist for my Valleys based play, Baby Steps. When her mother recently passed away, Mrs King told me that she was so grateful that I had written the play, as she felt that a part of her mother would always be alive whenever her story came to life on stage. It was one of those moments that made me feel as a writer, that I’d served a purpose.

 

Which sadly, leads me on to MTV’s The Valleys, whose own purpose seems to have got lost somewhere along the way.

 

 There’s a very marked difference between highlighting interesting characters because they have compelling stories, and that of simply exploiting communities with a camera crew. My hopes of seeing beautiful scenic shots of rolling Welsh hillsides and familiar landmarks were sadly replaced by the grubby interior shots of Glam nightclub and the cast’s apartment. Unfortunately, even in the dwelling, it appears to be the unmade bed in ‘the cwtch’ getting the most airtime. 

 

Many have said the television show will promote a negative view of the Valleys. Personally, the antics on Geordie Shore have never made me assume all Geordie’s replicate this behaviour, and I like to think that the general public have enough sense to realise it is a show fuelled by a camera crew. The real inhabitants of the valleys don’t act like a bunch of sheep, nor do they necessarily have them tattooed on their vaginas.

 

I don’t have a problem with easy viewing television, and don’t wish to slate The Valleys because of the way it’s portraying the cast. I can’t deny that I have pockets of friends that act in a similar manner to the characters on screen, and try to take everything with a little bit of tongue in cheek – despite it being the most foul mouthed scripting I’ve ever heard.

 

The problem for me lies in the fact that MTV have somewhat portrayed their advertisement in a way that would make viewers believe the show is indicative of Valley life. That’s why most of the South Wales communities tuned in to the first episode, hoping to see their home towns and dialect on television for the world to see. The programme delivered something very different.

 

They told us “The Valleys are coming.” So when do they arrive?

 

All we see a bunch of stereotyped personalities inside four walls being ploughed with alcohol. They could have been anywhere, so why say it’s the Valleys?

 

There’s a lot of good in South Wales. A real sense of pride and community. They may have ignored our beauty, culture and history but as they say, they can take away our pride (and I know, they’ve certainly tried) but they can’t take away our spirit. The one thing MTV have managed to fleetingly capture is the determination of the young cast in order to succeed. There is a belief in something better, and strength to continue against all odds.

 

Which, despite all else, is completely, and utterly, Valleys.









*Want more? Head to Dirty Protest, Cardiff to see my 10 minute play in response to MTV's The Valleys. Follow on twitter for more info!*


Next blog: 24 Oct