Elen Rhys has opened up about the future of Cleddau, admitting she feels there is still plenty left to explore with DI Ffion Lloyd
Elen Rhys has opened up about the future of Cleddau,(Image: BlackLight/Banijay Rights)
Elen Rhys believes there is still plenty more to uncover about her character in Welsh crime series Cleddau.
The actress is back on screen as DI Ffion Lloyd for the second series of the gripping S4C drama – but she admits she feels viewers have only seen the beginning of the detective’s story.
Elen has become closely associated with the role since Cleddau first hit screens, earning a BAFTA Cymru nomination for Best Actress following her performance in the first series.
And while there has been no confirmation of a third series, Elen believes the nature of Ffion’s job means there could be plenty of stories left to explore.
“I love playing Ffion,” she said. “It’s not an easy job with the two languages, but it is a gift of a role and, yeah, I feel like we’ve just touched the surface.”
However, the actress was quick to point out that the future of the drama isn’t her decision.
“But obviously it’s not my decision, is it?” she added. “I don’t know what Kath wants to do. You don’t know what S4C and beyond want to do. So I’m just lucky we got to do it for a second time, really.”
The comments come as Cleddau returns following a hugely successful first series. The drama became the third most popular S4C drama since 2016, behind Craith (Hidden) and Y Gwyll (Hinterland), while it also recorded the highest number of iPlayer sessions for an S4C drama series.
Its success was further recognised when it picked up Best Drama at the RTS Cymru Wales Awards, with Elen also receiving her BAFTA Cymru nomination.
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Elsewhere, Elen admitted that filming some of the show’s dramatic night-time scenes during the depths of winter was particularly challenging, with the cast and crew battling rain and cold temperatures.
She said the production filmed a night shoot throughout January, adding that it seemed to rain every day.
“Because of the genre, they want to film over the winter months,” Elen said. “But we did a night shoot running all through January, and I think it rained every day, January this year.
“So that’s hard, because obviously you want the nighttime for the atmosphere and the nuance of the piece, but it was really tough because we were battling the elements.”
She added: “It was just not good. I’d say that was probably the most challenging night shoots in the bleak, bleak January.”