Wales: Music Nation with Huw Stephens

Wales is known as the Land of Song, a musical nation. But where does the idea come from, and what does the music of Wales tell us about who we are? Music fanatic Huw Stephens delves deep into the surprising and varied story of music in Wales by putting together a unique Welsh music mixtape.

Jumping from choirs to pop groups, Tom Jones to the triple harp, haunting medieval music to urban rap, Huw explores what makes Welsh music unique, and the qualities it shares right across the centuries. Featuring interviews with stars like the Manic Street Preachers and Dafydd Iwan, alongside specially shot performances, this is the first TV series to draw together the full sweep of Welsh music across the centuries.

Huw Stephens continues with his quest to assemble a Welsh music mixtape, picking out his personal musical highlights from across the centuries. In this episode, he explores the explosion of Welsh pop in the 1990s, meeting the Manic Street Preachers and Super Furry Animals' Gruff Rhys. He looks at the fascinating history of Wales's national instrument, the triple harp, and uncovers the story of one of Wales's most gifted and tragic classical composers. Huw also takes a trip to the South Wales valleys to meet the world-famous Treorchy male voice choir, and to dig into the story of how another choir helped Wales become known as the Land of Song. At the other end of the country, Huw meets legendary singer-songwriter Dafydd Iwan, whose song Yma O Hyd has recently become a football anthem. Huw ends his journey in the Splott district of Cardiff, with a name for the future: Mace the Great, one of Wales's top rap artists. Throughout his journey, Huw examines the qualities that connect Welsh music across the ages, and asks why music has come to have such an key role in Welsh culture and identity.