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COMPANY NAME:TELEDU TELESGOP CYF

TELEPHONE:

01792 485548 / 485545
FAX:01792 485550
E MAIL ADDRESS:

telesgop@telesgop.co.uk

WEB SITE:

www.telesgop.co.uk

CONTACT:

Branwen Davies, Development Manager 
Elin Rhys, Managing Director

COMPANY PROFILE:

Independent production company, Teledu Telesgôp, was founded in 1993 by Managing Director, Elin Rhys


The company has produced several international co-productions, including ‘The Feast Of The Dying Sun’, a co-production with Tyrone Productions in Ireland and MacTV in Scotland, on the Celtic history of Halloween, whilst  ‘Eating Us Alive’, was a 50-minute, blue-chip, natural history programme on parasites for Discovery US and S4C.  We were also involved in a four part series called ‘Celtic States’, examining the history of the Celts in America, for RTE, S4C and STV, and ‘Wild Islands’, a co-production involving several UK broadcasters and production companies, looking at the wildlife of the British Isles.


In 2001, we produced ‘Kill or Cure’ for Animal Planet Europe, a six part series examining organisms that can harm us and help us - maggots and leeches, amongst others!

Currently on air we have several documentary series.  These include, ‘Starstruck’, a series for BBC Wales following the children of a Welsh stage school as they sing, dance, act, laugh and cry their way to stardom.  Additionally, we have a series following life in Swansea Market on ITV1 Wales, and for S4C.  In production we have a series on Germany, Poland, Russia, the Aleutian Islands, Canada, Ireland and finally back to Wales.  The series was extremely well-received, and a second series, following longitude line 5 degrees west, is now being filmed.  In the last series, our wildlife production, ‘Gwyllt Ar Grwydr’ (‘Wild’), featured programmes from Sri Lanka, South Africa, Canada, Gibraltar and Mexico - next time, the series will re-visit Canada and South Africa, but will also head off to Australia and The Seychelles.




We also produce a weekly agricultural current affairs programme, called ‘Ffermio’ (‘Farming’), which runs for 36 weeks a year, and is one of the main sources of information for the agricultural community here in Wales.  We have an on-going series called ‘Crwydro’ (‘Wandering’), where wildlife presenter Iolo Williams, walks the length and breadth of Wales in the company of some of its most well-known faces - from politicians to pop stars.  


Additionally, Additionally, we have produced numerous historical documentaries, including, ‘Marwolaeth Nid Yw’n Marw’ (‘Death Never Dies’), looking at death practices, and the most recent, ‘Y Pla Gwyn’ (‘The White Plague’), a fifty-minute programme on the history of tuberculosis in Wales.we have produced numerous historical documentaries, including, ‘Marwolaeth Nid Yw’n Marw’ (‘Death Never Dies’), looking at death practices, and the most recent, ‘Y Pla Gwyn’ (‘The White Plague’), a fifty-minute programme on the history of tuberculosis in Wales.


The company also specialises in event programming, producing the Welsh language coverage of one of the premier agricultural shows in the UK, the four-day Royal Welsh Show.  This involves the production of a nightly hour long programme showing the day’s highlights, for BBC Wales (for S4C), and the production of six hours of daily live coverage for S4C’s digital channel.  Last year’s broadcasts drew large audiences and much response.  In 2001 we made a 50-minute programme covering the events at one of Europe’s biggest and liveliest folk festivals, Lorient Inter-Celtic Festival, again for BBC Wales (for S4C). 
The company is also hoping to expand into drama production and currently has several projects in development.


Another Telesgôp project is Spikymammal, a wildlife footage library featuring hours of fantastic British wildlife material.

Telesgôp now has 28 members of full-time staff.  We also have an associate company called Telesgopics, a facilities company with 6 online edit suites, including an Avid Symphony, as well as camera and sound kit


Elin Rhys

Elin Rhys, Telesgôp’s managing director, is a science graduate who, after 5 years as a scientist in industry, joined HTV Wales in 1984 as a freelance journalist on science magazine programmes.  She continued with HTV for 5 years preparing science, health and environment features for both S4C and HTV until 1990, when she became a regular freelance presenter for the science education department in BBC London for 2 years, including a 20 part series, ‘Search Out Science’.  She is an experienced radio producer and presenter on science, medicine and general welfare issues.  Also, between 1988 and 1993, she presented 5 outdoor pursuit series in the Welsh mountains, ‘O Fan I Fan’ (‘Trailblazers’), a fun science series for Channel 4, ‘The Nature of Science’, a serious look at adult education for the BBC, ‘The Education Programme’ and a live tongue-in-cheek look at TV all over the world, ‘Llygaid Sgwar’ (‘Square Eyes’).  She also presented 72 programmes aimed at teaching the Welsh language, ‘Now You’re Talking’.  She wrote and produced 3 series on health and sex education for children, broadcast on BBC 2 and S4C, ‘Healthy’.  In all, Elin worked for BBC 2, BBC Wales, HTV, Granada, Channel 4, BBC Open University, and BBC Education, along with many independent companies in Wales on programmes for S4C, before going on to found Telesgôp.

In 1993 she founded Teledu Telesgôp in order to produce more specific documentary features, and especially, to concentrate on science and countryside programmes.  The first project was a ten part co-produced series on astronomy, ‘Galactica’, followed by 2 seven part murder-mystery dramas, ‘Dim Cliw’ (‘Clueless’), written by world leading forensic pathologist, Professor Bernard Knight.

Elin is also the Chief Executive of Channel EARTH, a new environmental channel