Mudtown, aka Ar y Ffin, is a Welsh crime drama on BBCIPlayer and S4C that sees a magistrate plunged into a murky world. Erin Richards (Gotham) and Tom Cullen (Downton Abbey) lead the cast, alongside a host of Welsh talent in the six-part drama that has been filmed in Welsh and English.
A co-commission between Welsh language free-to-air channel S4C and All3Media International, the Welsh-language version of the show — which comes with English subtitles —is on BBC iPlayer and S4C at the end of December 2024 (see below). and for those who'd rather wait for the English version, it will be debuting on UKTV's legal drama channel U&Alibi in spring 2025.
Here's everything you need to know about Mudtown (Ar y Ffin in Welsh)...
Mudtown (Ar y Ffin) release date
The six-part Welsh-language version of Mudtown called Ar y Ffin launches as a box set on BBCiPlayer from Sunday December 29 2024. Ar y Ffin also launches weekly on Welsh language channel S4C from 9pm on Sunday December 29 2024.
The English-language version Mudtown will be broadcast on U&Alibi in spring 2025. You can find Alibi in the following places, Sky 109/826, Virgin 126/200, BT 312/382, TalkTalk 312, TV Player On demand on Sky, Virgin, BT and TalkTalk.
Mudtown (Ar y Ffin) plot
Set in South Wales, this six-parter, Mudtown (Ar y Ffin) focuses on the goings on at Newport's Magistrates Court, where experienced Magistrate Claire Lewis Jones (Richards) faces personal turmoil while presiding over cases...
Claire, played by Gotham star Erin Richards, is tested professionally when Ned Humphries, her daughter Beca’s childhood friend faces arson charges. Things become more complicated when criminal kingpin Saint Pete (Tom Cullen) arrives on the scene, and Beca (Lauren Morais) starts dating a local bad boy Sonny Higgins (Lloyd Meredith). But as Claire delves deeper into the case, her maternal instincts clash with her commitment to the law and she finds herself embroiled in a web criminal activity that risks everything. Claire and Saint Pete go back a long way - will her past come back to threaten her present?
As she delves deeper into the case, and suspicions grow around her daughter's new bad-boy boyfriend, Sonny Higgins, Claire uncovers a web of criminal activity that could put her and her family at risk.
"As the truth emerges and consequences unfold, Claire must confront her own biases and decisions. The lines between right and wrong become blurred, leaving Claire in muddy waters as her maternal instincts clash with her commitment to uphold the law."
Mudtown (Ar y Ffin) cast and interviews
The six-part drama Mudtown (Ar y Ffin) boasts an impressive cast, including Erin Richards (Gotham, The Crown), who plays Claire Lewis Jones and Tom Cullen (The Gold, Becoming Elizabeth) as criminal kingpin, Saint Pete.
Kimberley Nixon plays Sara Humphries (The Salisbury Poisonings, Life and Death in the Warehouse) and Gareth John Bale is Glyn Humphries. Lauren Morais (The Red King) plays Beca Lewis Jones and Lloyd Meredith (The Red King, Gran Turismo) plays Sonny Higgins.
Matthew Gravelle (Broadchurch, Steeltown Murders) is playing Beca's father Alun Lewis Jones (see pictured above).
Tom Cullen says: "Saint Pete; he is the local gangster. I think he's described in the script as Newport's Tony Soprano but obviously it's evolved a bit since then. But yeah, he's really smart and an intelligent guy who is a product of his environment."
Lloyd Meredith says: "The first impression we have of Sonny is that he is a stereotypical rough and ready bad boy. But the more we learn about Sonny and delve into his past, the more we realise there’s a lot more to him than that. He’s a complex character and we learn that he’s quite a damaged person. He has a lot of traumas in his life and that makes you feel a little sorry for him. Unfortunately for him, he’s made a lot of bad mistakes and decisions in the past, so he spent some time in Wakefield prison before he moved to Newport, so the story picks up once he’s in Newport and he’s got this new life. But that move has triggered something for him and his whole world has been turned upside down once he meets Beca, falls in love and starts to work for Saint Pete."
is there a Mudtown (Ar y Ffin) trailer?
Yes a trailer for Ar y Ffin is available below... We'll update with an Engish-language Mudtown trailer when U&Alibi releases one.
Behind the scenes and more on Mudtown (Ar y Ffin)
The thriller Mudtown (Ar y Ffin) was written by Hannah Daniel (star of Keeping Faith, Holby City and Cleddau/The One That Got Away) and Georgia Lee, who also sits on the Bench as a Magistrate.
The U&Original series was commissioned by Helen Perry, head of drama for UKTV, and ordered for U&Alibi by Emma Ayech, channel director, and Hilary Rosen, director of commissioning.
Executive Producer for Severn Screen is Ed Talfan and the series will be produced by Hannah Thomas (Steeltown Murders, Hidden) and directed by Rhys Carter (Yr Amgueddfa, Enid a Lucy) and Chris Forster (Hidden, The Light in the Hall). Mudtown (Ar y Ffin in Welsh) was commissioned for Welsh language broadcaster S4C by S4C’s head of film and drama, Gwenllian Gravelle.
"I'm thrilled that we get to bring Hannah and Georgia's razor-sharp scripts to life in a way that will make our audiences laugh, cry, gasp and stay on the edge of their seats," said Helen Parry, head of drama for UKTV.
"The characters are colourful, the crimes are complex, the twists are non-stop, and the whole show is shot through with wit. This series will give our Alibi audiences a very different type of legal drama and I can't wait to introduce them to it."
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