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Aberystwyth-based TV detective series Hinterland is set for its English language debut this weekend following the unprecedented success of S4C’s Welsh version.

The gripping drama, featuring dialogue in both English and Welsh for the first time in a BBC drama, will be aired on BBC One Wales at 9.30pm on Saturday.

Adrian Davies, BBC Wales’ head of English language programmes and services said: “Hinterland is a powerful and moving drama set against the stunning backdrop of West Wales.

“It’s an area where daily conversation can often dip from Welsh to English and back again – and Hinterland captures this very naturally.”

The new series follows a commitment made by BBC Cymru Wales Director Rhodri Talfan Davies at the Celtic Media Festival in April to better reflect Welsh language life and culture on BBC One Wales and BBC Two Wales.

At the time he said: “I think we have to spend more time finding bridges that can connect different audiences to cultures, viewpoints and experiences they might not normally encounter.

“On BBC One Wales, I want us to think creatively about how we allow Welsh language voices and experiences to be heard and experienced a little more.”

The Aberystwyth-based series first made headlines morte than a year ago when Danish TV network DR, the company behind globally popular Scandinavian drama The Killing, bought the show’s international rights, before it had even been filmed in English or in Welsh.

The series of four original stories, each in two hour-long episodes follows decorated, if troubled, detective DCI Tom Mathias, played by Richard Harrington, as he explores the dark underbelly of Aberystwyth and its surrounding areas. S4C audience figures for the Welsh language version of the show were favourable when it was broadcast in the autumn with a quarter of viewers hailing from outside Wales.

Hinterland has also attracted critical acclaim for its brooding portrayal of police life in West Wales.

The Guardian said “fans of washed-out noir slaughter are going to love this for its slow, confident pacing, attention to detail and Harrington’s engrossing performance.”

Executive producer Ed Thomas said: “As Y Gwyll, the series received an enthusiastic response from critics and members of the audience alike.

“In Hinterland, Mathias is not a Welsh-speaker, but most of the other characters we encounter do speak the language.

“The dialogue therefore reflects the natural way people adapt their language use to suit the situation they find themselves in.”