Country of origin Wales | Original network BBC One Wales | |
Starring Boyd Clack
Ri Richards
Michael Neill
Islwyn Morris
Rhodri Hugh
Shelley Miranda Barrett
Einir Sion
Kirsten Clark Running time Approximately 30 Minutes Original release Series 1 (1996) Series 2 (1997) Series 3 (1998) 1 Hour Long Episode Special (1999) | ||
Satellite City was a Welsh sitcom which started out originally as a radio show on BBC Radio Wales in 1994 and then evolved into a TV version made by BBC Wales and was first broadcast in 1996.
The setting was an imaginary small town in the South Wales Valleys. The plot centred on the arrival of Randy (Michael Neill), an American visitor, who was taken in by the Price family (but had to share a bed with pensioner Idris, played by Islwyn Morris. Randy soon formed a relationship with local girl Mandy (Shelley Miranda Barrett). The other main characters were Idris's son, Gwynne (played by Boyd Clack, who also co-wrote the series), Gwynne's wife Moira (Ri Richards), barman Dai (Rhodri Hugh), and Mandy's friend Bridget (Einir Sion), replaced in the final series by the character of Donna (Kirsten Clark). In the final episode Randy moved into his own house with Mandy. There are continual references to Idris's ferret Sylvester (his beloved pet), and he eventually discovers that it is, in fact, a girl ferret.
The reason for the title is explained in the first episode: the district had been used for the initial testing of satellite dishes, but when the time came to return the dishes or pay for the service, no one returned them and no one paid. Satellite City thus suggests a run-down area.
In 1999 the series won a BAFTA Cymru Award [1] for Best Light Entertainment.
A pilot, eighteen 30-minute episodes and a one-hour special were made in all.