Joni Jones

This charming series has long been regarded as a jewel in the crown of Welsh language cinema, having moved television audiences all over the world.

Directed by Stephen Bayley, who went on to produce Sir Ian McKellen's marvellous 'Richard III', the six part series follows the adventures of a young boy growing up in the rural idyll of Wales' Lleyn Peninsula set against the distant backdrop of WW2.

It charts his boyhood from his first day at a local village school, to his first days at the English boarding school to which he was sent at the age of eleven.

Along the way, Joni has many adventures: he befriends an escaped Italian prisoner of war; he prepares to meet his maker after swallowing chewing gum; he meets and clashes with urban 'evacuees'.

The series is based on the highly autobiographical collection of short stories "Gwared y Gwirion" ["Losing Innocence"] written by R. Gerallt Jones, OBE, one work in a large ouvre dealing with the often dual nature of identity set in the Lleyn Peninsula. Unfortunately, not available to buy.