16 October 2024 (1st)

"You're going to spoil everyhtinh'

“You’re going to spoil everything,” Cassie tells Dyff and he replies that he is sorry but he had no choice;  

"That boy is like a son to me"

that boy is like a son to him.   “Has anyone seen you?   Have you recognised anyone?” she demands, so he points out that he has been very careful.

"Why didn't you stay in Spain?"

She asks why he did not stay in Spain and he replies that he is not here to cause trouble;  

"Once I've seen him, I'll go back"

“Once I’ve seen him and made sure he’s OK, I’ll go back.”   

"It could be weeks, even months"

Cassie angrily points out that Dan is in a coma and could be like that for weeks, or even months, before he recovers.   

"I have to see him, Cass"

Dyff simply points out, “I have to see him – so we’ll go from there shall we?”

Megan hears the letterbox . . .

Megan is walking sadly around her house when she sees that the post has been delivered and discovers a birthday card on the doormat.   

. . . and has a card

It bears the number 80 on the front.   

She looks at an old photo

Then her gaze shifts to a photograph of herself and Reg.

"I don't want you to be unhappy"

She imagines she can hear his voice;  “One thing I don’t want is for you to be unhappy – you can believe that, can’t you?”

Garry has stopped the hearse

The hearse pulls up in a country road, where Garry instructs Britt to phone Gwern;  

"Now!"

“Now!” he shouts, but Britt refuses.   

"He's not being dragged into this!"

She is determined not to drag him into this.   

"I haven't talked to him for over a year"

Garry reminds her that he has not talked to his son for over a year.

"Do you think this stunt is going to change things?"

“And do you think this stunt is going to change things?” sneers Britt, “Why don’t we go to the police and then we’ll talk about Gwern?”   

"I'm not going back until I've seen him"

Garry says that they have already had this conversation, and he is not going back to jail until he has seen him – before it is too late for him.

"He needs guidance"

“He’s lost, isn’t he?   He needs guidance.”

“And he’s not getting that now from me and Dani and Colin?” Britt demands, “Is that what you’re saying?”

“Why wasn’t he there today?   A family funeral?” growls Garry and is again told that Gwern did not want to be there.   

"Teach him he needs to show respect!

“You shouldn’t have given him a choice – teach him he needs to show respect!”

“Don’t talk to me about respect, when you’ve spoiled the funeral of the only woman we could ever call a mother!” Britt shouts, “If you really want to blame someone for Gwern’s problems, you should look closer to home – 

"You're no example!"

“because you’re no example!”

Garry moans that he just wants to talk to Gwern, but Britt wants him to agree to go to the police afterwards, so he says that he will, although BT does not believe him.

"That was lush!"

Kelly comes out of APD declaring, “That was just lush – so perfect!”   

"I thought Uncle Ieu was going to cry"

Rhys comments that he has never seen Uncle Ieu smiling so much;  “I thought he was going to cry,” adds Kelly, maintaining that he is a real softy, deep down, which is a miracle really, considering that he and Hywel are brothers.   

"No – half-brothers"

Hywel makes it clear that they are only half-brothers.

"Some idiot's forgotten the Correx"

Howard comes round the corner and tells them not to lock up, because some idiot has forgotten the Correx;  “It’s for this party thing – Iolo’s not organised at all – hang on a minute,” 

Howard dashes inside to get some

and he hurries inside the shop.

Ffion and Cai happen to be passing and Kelly is described as looking very smart;  “Megan will appreciate it.”   Kelly explains that it was for Auntie Anita’s and Ieuan’s wedding.

"Cwmderi's never been such a jolly place"

Cai is surprised that there is a wedding and a birthday on the same day;  “Cwmderi’s never been such a jolly place.”   Ffion thinks that it is nice to have something to celebrate, 

Howard  now has his Correx . . .

just as Howard emerges with his sheet of Correx.

. . . and explains what he will do with it

He tells Rhys that he wants to write ‘80’ on it and put it up in the High Street;  “I hope Megan’s going to be happy with what we are doing.”

"And when you've had as many as me . . ."

Iolo has gone to visit Megan and pretends that he did not know it was her birthday;  “And when you’ve had as many as me, they don’t count,” she sighs.   

"I shall have to take you out for lunch, then"

He says that, in that case, he will have to take her out for lunch, but once more she insists that she does not want any kind of fuss – and anyway, she has not washed her hair.

"I'm not going anywhere without you"

“Well, you’d better hurry, because I’m not going anywhere without you,” he stresses.   

"Why would you want takeout an old woman"

She cannot understand why he wants to take out an old woman for lunch 

"Who's this old woman?"

and he queries, “Who’s this old woman you’re talking about?   I can only see a young and smart woman in front of me.”

She says that she will go and get herself ready;  Iolo in the meantime will phone the restaurant to see if they have any Babycham.   

"I drink Advocaat"

“Well, on special occasions, I drink Advocaat,” she informs him, 

"Well, Advocate you will have!"

and he will make sure that she will get some.

As soon as she has gone, he takes out his phone;  “Hey, it’s all systems go here – 

"Can you get hold of some Advocaat?"

“but can you get hold of some Advocaat for me, please?”

"I've got no idea what's going on"

The hearse is still standing in the lane as Garry tells Britt that he misses Gwern;  “I have no idea what’s going on in his life.”   He is told that he is worrying too much;  Gwern is doing all right.

"He's got a girlfriend"

“No, he has a girlfriend – Lleucu, Cai’s daughter,” Britt goes on;  

"Cai Rossiter's daughter?"

Garry is astonished that she is Cai Rossiter’s daughter.   

"They seem happy together"

“She’s a lovely girl –  they seem happy together.”

Garry wants to know how long this has been going on.   “He’s got himself a little job and he’s resumed his education – I know you’re worried about him and it’s sad that he’s refusing to talk to you, but Gwern’s OK.   

"How about we go to the police station now?"

“How about we go to the police station now?   I promise to tell him to visit you – I’ll do everything I can to get him to understand that it’s important to you.”

"Go and check the back tyre"

Garry agrees to this, but has one condition;  “Get out and check the back tyre – it’s going flat.”   

Britt knows what is coming next

Britt sees through this immediately 

As soon as she gets out – Garry drives away . . .

and as soon as she is out of the car, 

. . . leaving her in tears

he drives away, leaving her in tears.

The banner is being hoisted

The preparations for Megan’s party are in full swing, with all the arrangements being made in the High Street.   The ‘Happy Birthday, Megan’ banner is hoisted into position.   

Everyone is lending a hand

Jason and a couple of other villagers are involved in the operation, 

Jinx tests then sound

while Jinx is testing the sound system and Eleri is inflating balloons.

Eleri is standing in for her father

Kath was not expecting to see Eleri there, but she reports that her father is tired, so she is his replacement.   He has gone to her flat for some peace and quiet.   

"Why didn't they stick to one colour?"

“Why didn’t they just stick to one colour?   Much more tasteful,” she criticises the decorations.”

"I organised the balloons"

“‘They’ are me, OK?” snaps Kath, “I organised the balloons.”   Eleri hopes that Megan will enjoy the party vibe and enquires how old she is.

When Jinx replies that she is 80, 

"I thought she was younger than you"

Eleri cannot resist the temptation to tell Kath, “Wow, I thought she was younger than you!”

All this time, Kath has been trying to contact someone by phone.   

She likes winding up Kath

Eleri tells Jinx that she quite likes Kath, but cannot help herself.

Mark is carrying a large number '8'

Mark and Mathew are manhandling the large numbers ‘8’ and ‘0’ when 

"Cassie's not answering her phone"

Kath ask if they know where Cassie is;  “She’s not answering her phone.”   

"Does the Deri have any Advocaat?"

Maya comes rushing across asking whether the Deri has any Advocaat, which is apparently Megan’s favourite drink.   

"I think there's some at Maes-y-Deri"

Mark believes that they might have some at Maes-y-Deri, as well as a bottle of Crème de Menthe, which has been there for years.

When Cheryl appears, she clears up the mystery of Cassie’s whereabouts, explaining that she is at the hospital, 

"Go and make sure she's all right"

so Kath dispatches Mark there to check that she is all all right.

"What about Marian and Denzil?"

At Penrhewl, Sioned is asking Huwi, “What about Marian and Denzil?   Do you like those names?”   He asks who Marian is 

"I can't fix that gate"

and is told that she was Sioned’s father’s aunt and she goes to get a photograph.   Eileen comes into the house, complaining that she cannot fix the gate, so they will have to get a new one.

Sioned cannot find the album with Auntie Marian’s photos;  “I wanted to show him the photos of Maureen, Marian, Gina.”   

"I like Gina"

He decides that he likes the name Gina, which his mother thinks sounds exotic.

"I'm staying here with Huwi"

Sioned is not going to the party;  but will stay there with Huwi.   

"I have to go to Llandeilo first"

Eileen decides that she might show her face, but has to go to Llandeilo first;  “A new café has opened and wants a sample of Cae Glas produce.”

Sioned wonders whether it is a good idea to take on more work now.   

"I'm not going to turn down business"

Her mother is not going to turn down business 

"Concentrate on your list of names"

and tells Sioned to concentrate on her list of names.

DJ looks at all that money . . .

At Bryntirion, DJ is looking puzzled as he stares at the bundles of money;  

. . . puts it in a holdall . . .

he stuffs them into a holdall with some clothes on the top 

. . . which he zips up

and zips it up.

Mark arrives at the hospital

In the hospital Dyff is bringing some coffees to where Cassie is waiting, but before he can get there, Mark approaches her, 

"Has something happened:?"

asking if something has happened and whether Dan is worse.

“What are you doing here?” she demands, and explains that they have been trying to contact her.   

"The phone signal is terrible here"

She gives the excuse that the phone signal is terrible there and says that they should head back to the party.

Dyff is coming with the coffee

Dyff comes round the corner, but when he sees Mark, he quickly dodges out of sight.   

"This place gets too much sometimes"

“This place gets too much sometimes,” says Cassie 

She looks at Dyff . . .

and as they head out of the hospital, she looks anxiously across at Dyff, 

. . . doing his best to hide

hiding behind a trolley.

"The police say Garry's still on the run"

“The police say Garry’s still on the run,” Britt informs Dani and Colin.   He hopes that they do not think Britt has got anything to do with this 

"There were plenty of witnesses there"

and she stresses that she has explained everything to them;  “There were plenty of witnesses there.”

Her phone sounds and she receives a message that Gwern is with Lleucu, which she finds reassuring.   Seren is in Kylie’s room, playing with an iPad;  “I’ve been trying to persuade her to go to Megan’s party,”says Dani.

"Gloria has been buried"

Colin has cancelled the funeral tea and Gloria has been buried;  Britt is overcome with emotion, 

Jinx is outside the door

just as the buzzer sounds.   Jinx is looking for Dani.

"It's as if his spirit has been broken"

Now Britt is worrying about Garry not looking well;  “It was as if his spirit had been broken.”   

"Garry's fine!"

Dani, on the other hand, is confident that Garry is fine;  “He has a plan, so he’ll always be fine.”

"I heard that Garry absconded"

Jinx comes upstairs;  “I heard that Garry absconded – are you all right?”

Dani groans, “Nothing changes, does it?” and Jinx comments that there is always a performance with that bloke.   

"There's no drama with you"

“That’s what’s different with you – there’s no drama – apart from the drama that I cause,” she adds, “I’m sorry about the way I’ve treated you – it’s not all right – you deserve better.   You were just trying to help.”

"I thought I was just 'needy'!"

“Help?” he demands, “I thought I was just ‘needy’!”   

"Can we forget it and move on?"

Again she says she is sorry and asks if he can forgive her, forget about it and move on.   

"Things will be different this time"

She promises that things will be different this time, 

She tries to wheedle her way back into his affections . . .

as she hugs him, 

. . . and Jinx is quite aware of that

but he can see that there is more to it than that.

Dyff stands outside Maes-y-Deri . . .

Dyff is now at Maes-y-Deri, 

. . . looking at the house

staring up at the house and becoming quite emotional, as approaching footsteps can be heard.   

Then Kath appears

Kath discovers him there and is incredulous.   He suddenly becomes aware of her presence, 

"All right, love?   Long time"

turns and greets her, “All right, love?   Long time.   I thought you'd be at the party.”

"Is this a trick?

Kath looks at him and demands, “Is this a trick?   Who are you?”   

"I know this is a lot to take in"

He appreciates that this is a lot to take in and wonders if she wants him to tell her now, or whether she needs some time.   

"What's going on?"

“I just want to know what’s going on, please?” she says, so he suggests that they go inside.   

They go into the house

Kath leads the way in through the gate.

"They're coming!"

In the High Street, Mark announces that they are coming, so everyone is hushed;  

"Shall we go into the Deri?"

as they reach the corner, Iolo asks Megan if they should go into the Deri for a drink while they wait for the taxi, 

"Why didn't we get a taxi from the house?"

but she is inquisitive why they did not get a taxi from the house.   “It’s nice to stretch our legs,” he answers as they walk into the High Street 

There is a rousing cheer

and there is a tremendous cheer from the assembled multitude.

Megan is overcome

Megan is quite taken aback, but Iolo leads her down the road 

They all sing Happy Birthday to Megan

as they all sing ‘happy birthday’ to her.   

"Champagne for the birthday girl"

Can someone give some champagne to the birthday girl?” shouts Jinx.   

Sabrina takes it to her . . .

None other than Sabrina comes forward to greet Megan 

. . . and they all drink a toast

and they all drink a toast.

Kath does not know what to say

Inside Maes-y-Deri, Kath still does not know what to say;  

Dyff starts to explain

Dyff begins, “Do you remember after Frank Price attacked me, when I was in hospital?   He threatened me, repeatedly, to drop the charges or they would come after you, Stacey and Mark.”

'The cops were protecting you"

She remembers that the cops were protecting him in hospital, but he explains that there were messages and phone calls.   “The cops made me an offer.   

"They had wanted to smash the gang for years"

“They had wanted to smash Frank Price’s gang for years, but they couldn’t charge him with anything to make sure he’d be locked up for ever.

"Manslaughter would be the only thing"

“Manslaughter would be the only charge that would do that, so the cops suggested that I go on the witness protection program to France – on the condition that they faked my death.   I didn’t do it lightly – but I had to protect you here.”

"By running away and leaving us?"

“By running away and leaving us?” snarls Kath, “Why wasn’t I told about this?   I would have come with you.”   

"It would have been too risky"

Dyff declares that it would have been too risky, but then she comes to the reason for his return now.

“Things change, different circumstances,” he says. 

"You'd better start talking, good boy!"

She wants to know what circumstances, as it has been 25 years;  “I can tell you a lot has changed here – so you’d better start talking, good boy!   

"If you don't tell the truth . . ."

“If you don’t tell the truth, I’m telling you now I’ll make your life more of a hell than Frank Price ever did!”

DJ gets a phone call

Out in the High Street, DJ receives a call on his phone;  “All right, I’m on my way now – oh, I’ll go and have a pint, then.   Tell me when you’re here and don’t be long.”

"Going anywhere nice?"

He carries the holdall through the crowds and Iolo asks if he is going anywhere nice.   He replies that he is taking some stuff to Apêl Maenan, but is informed that the shop is closed today.

"The cops let me know there wasn't any danger"

“So Frank died about five years into the witness protection.   The gang split and the cops let us know there wasn’t any danger – to me or you,” Dyff continues, 

"I wanted to, but . . ."

“I could have come back then – I wanted to, but . . .”

". . . wee, I was sacred of facing you"

Kath wants him to go on and explain;  “Well, I was scared of facing you after what I’d done, so I went over to Spain – stayed with a friend – I had time to think.   I worked there and that’s where I’ve been.”

"You've been in Spain for 20 years?"

“You’ve been in Spain for 20 years?” rages Kath, “So you turned your back on us twice!”   

He argues that it was not like that, but it is easier when there is a distance;  

"You pretend you're doing what's best for everyone"

“You pretend that you’re doing what’s best for everyone.”

Kath is adamant that it is not best for everyone;  

"What's best for Dyff, isn't it?"

“No, what’s best for Dyff, isn’t it?   Do you realise that you destroyed our lives?   The nightmares the children and I had, thinking about the way you were killed.   I was devastated, Dyff – I was about to go over the edge, 

"But no, Kath had to be strong!"

“but no, Kath had to be strong, didn’t she?   Kath Jones stayed strong for the children – but I’ll tell you this much – this tough cookie hasn’t taken this ring off since we got married!   

"What does that tell you, Dyff?"

“What does that tell you, Dyff?”

"But I'm back now"

The only thing he can think of to say is, “But I’m back now.”

Kath demands why that is;  “To destroy my life again?”   He points out that she is in shock and this is a lot to take in;  he wants to talk about it another time.

Now Stacey has arrived

Suddenly, someone comes in through the back door;  it is Stacey, 

Another surprise for Kath

who snarls, “I knew you wouldn’t be able to stay away!”   Kath is amazed to see her there.

The birthday cake

The birthday cake has pride of place in the High Street as some more food is brought out from the Deri.   

"I'd better find this Advocaat"

Cassie says that as Megan is desperate for her Advocaat, she had better go and find some.   

"OK, I'll go, Cassie"

Cheryl does not want to be left on her own again, so Mark volunteers to go, as he will not be long.

"Need any help?"

Cheryl passes Tom, who asks if she needs any help and initially she refuses, but then hands him the tray of sandwiches, 

Cheryl changes her mind

directing him to one of the tables;  she has another five trays to bring out.   

Gaynor is keeping watch

Gaynor is watching that conversation, as she sits with Maya.

Sabrina comes to speak to Dai

Sabrina comes over to speak to Dai, who was at one time married to her;  Diane is obviously not very pleased.   “It’s good to see that you’ve stuck by him,” says Sabrina, 

"Well, someone has to"

and Diane replies that someone has to.

"She hasn't changed, has she?"

“She hasn’t changed, has she?” comments Dai, and Diane cautions him that he has, 

"Don't get any ideas!"

and is warned not to have any ideas.

Jinx makes an announcement

Jinx calls for attention;  “I don’t have to tell you how important today's celebration is for a very special person.   Megan has been the heart and soul of this village for over 50 years.   So what better than hearing from the legend herself?   

"May I present Miss Megan Harries?"

“May I present Miss Megan Harries?”

"Dear friends"

Megan takes the microphone;  “Dear friends, that is what you are, I can't think of better friends than those here today around me.   

"I've lived here most of my life"

“But this is typical of Cwmderi – I’ve lived here most of my life – I’ve lived here, worked here, got married, raised children here – and mourned as well.   

"This feeling of community"

“The feeling of community, of society and true love is a rare thing – but not in our little village.   I can’t believe that all of this was organised for me.”

Sabrina comes to take over

By this time she is becoming rather tearful, so Sabrina takes the microphone from her;  “I was working in the shop the first time I met Megan, you know, with Maggie Post.   A classy, well-dressed woman walked in.   

"Who does she think she is?"

Maggie Post asked, ‘Who’s she, then – who does she think she is?   She thinks a lot of herself?’”

"No wonder I was scared of her"

Megan says that it is no wonder she was scared of Maggie at the time, but is informed that she was wrong.   

"To Cwmderi and its people"

Megan offers a toast, “To Cwmderi and its people!”

"How could you hide this from me?"

“How could you hide this from me?” says Kath, but Dyff emphasises that it was not Stacey’s fault.   

"It was never Stacey's fault, was it?"

“Oh no, it was never Stacey’s fault, was it?   Dadi’s golden girl.”   

"I'll go and wait in the car"

Stacey tries to escape, but is ordered to stay where she is.

"How long have you known?"

“How long have you known?” she is asked 

"It's been about a year"

and Dyff answers that it has been about a year.   

“I tried to get him to let you and Mark know,” says Stacey, but her father forbade her to say anything.

"When were you going to tell me?"

“When were you going to tell me and Mark?   How many times have you seen him?” Kath demands.   

Stacey confesses that she went to Spain last year and Dyff was in London over Christmas.   

“So what’s this – a day trip to  Cwmderi?   A bit of nostalgia?   Is that what this is?” 

"It's a day for celebration"

Dyff regards it as a day for celebration;  “Let’s have a can and reminisce.”   

Kath points out that there is a street party out there, encouraging him to go over there to celebrate with the bunting.   Stacey stands up for her father;  “Dad was protecting us – he thought he was doing the right thing.”

"He has no right to walk in!"

Kath shouts, “We buried him, Stacey – we were heartbroken.   He has no right to walk in as if the last few years haven’t happened.”

Mark cannot believe it

At that moment Mark comes in through the back door on the search for Advocaat;  he cannot believe what he is seeing.  

"Hiya, boy!

“Hiya, boy!” says his father and Mark is speechless.

Sioned looks for Huwi . . .

Sioned finds that Huwi is not in the farmhouse, 

. . . then goes to shout for him outside

so opens the door and shouts for him;  

She feels a twinge

then she suddenly feels a pain, which she thinks nothing of.

"The longer I waited, the more difficult it was"

“The longer I waited, the more difficult it was to come back,” Dyff tries to explain, 

"What changed your mind?"

so Mark asks what changed his mind.   “Well, my friend’s son was very ill and I started to think how much I’d regret it if I didn’t see you again.”

"Ricky was very ill, too!"

Kath stops him there;  “You do know that you’re a grandfather?”   Apparently he does know about Ricky.   “Ricky was very ill too – he fell off the roof after taking drugs – do you regret not coming back then?” she asks.

"Do you have family out there?"

Mark enquires if he has family out in Spain, but is told that his friends are his family.   “So I don’t have any half brothers or sisters out there?”Mark goes on.

"Dyff Jones, living like a  monk?'

Dyff smiles that he only has one family, but Kath knows better than that;  “Don’t tell me that Dyff Jones has been living like a monk out in the Costa Del Crime.”   He confesses that there was someone.   

"Is she going to walk in here?"

“When you knew I was here?   So where is she now?   Is she going to walk in here?”   

"She died"

Dyff reveals that she died.

"She was British"

“She was British – a lot of expats live there.   I heard that you’d got married again.”   Mark cannot understand how he knew 

"Stacey has known for a year"

and is informed by his mother that Stacey has known for a year.

Trying to change the subject, Dyff has heard that Kath is now back in the Deri;  “Who would have thought it?   We should go and have a pint.”

"You're not going anywhere!"

Kath instructs him that he is not going anywhere until he has finished his story.   “It’s not every day someone comes back from the dead.”

Sioned is about to go looking for Huwi

At Penrhewl, Sioned is about to go and look for Huwi when he returns;  

He was trying to fix the gate

he has been trying to mend the gate, with the help of a large wrench.   

Suddenly something happens . . .

All of a sudden, a strange feeling comes over Sioned, 

. . . her waters have broken

with the pool of liquid on the floor indicating that her waters have broken.

In the Deri, Sabrina tells Megan, “Do you know who sends their best?   Nerys Cadwaladr.”   

"I haven't seen her for such a long time'

Megan has not seen her for such a long time and does not even know her address.   Apparently she is living in Canada now, and her husband has children from his previous marriage;  

"She's got five grand children"

“She’s got five grandchildren around the place.”

"Nefi wen!"

Dai, who has been listening in, remarks, “Nefi wen!   She isn’t going to turn up to give a speech as well, is she?”   Maya thinks that they have had enough surprises for one day.

Another phone call for DJ

In a corner, DJ is waiting for his phone to ring but when it does, he complains, “Where are you?   I’m in the Deri.   

Urgent news from Penrhewl 

“Whoa, now – Huwi?   Right!”   He rushes out of the Deri, 

He leaves behind his money

completely forgetting his holdall containing the money in his haste to get to Penrhewl.

"My mouth's like sandpaper"

Dyff has had a can of beer;  he says that his mouth was like sandpaper after all that talking.   Kath hopes that there is more in the fridge because he has a lot more explaining to do.

"I've said all I've got to say"

Dyff thinks that he has said everything he has to say;  “My life wasn’t that interesting.”   Kath asks him yet again why he is back and he considers it is better late than never.

Stacey urges him to tell the truth;  “You always were a hopeless liar,” adds Kath and demands who she was.   

"Who was this ex-pat?"

“This ex-pat that you chose over your family?”   After more badgering by both Kath and Stacey, he reveals who the woman was who was more important to him than his wife and children.

"Jean McGurk – happy now?"

“Jean,” he replies, “Jean McGurk – happy now?”   

They are all astounded

They all look dumbfounded.