Satellite City

Satellite City
Starring	Boyd Clack Ri Richards Michael Neill Islwyn Morris Rhodri Hugh Shelley Miranda Barrett Einir Sion Kirsten Clark
Country of origin	Wales
Production
Running time	Approximately 30 Minutes
Release
Original network	BBC One Wales
Original release	Series 1 (1996) Series 2 (1997) Series 3 (1998) 1 Hour Long Episode Special (1999)
External links
Website

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 for Best Light Entertainment.

A pilot, eighteen 30-minute episodes and a one-hour special were made in all.

Cast & characters

• Michael Neill as Randy
• Islwyn Morris as Idris
• Shelley Miranda Barrett as Mandy
• Boyd Clack as Gwynne
• Ri Richards as Moira
• Rhodri Hugh as Dai
• Einir Sion as Bridget
• Kirsten Clark as Donna
• Brian Hibbard As Spike

Episodes

Series 1

Episode	Title	Original air date
0	"Pilot"	12 December 1995
The talking pegs are giving Idris a hard time, so Randy decides to offer some advice, which doesn't go down too well with Gwyn.
1	"The Lodger"	4 October 1996
English Stan the lodger is dead and Dad wants a new replacement, but Gwynne says no, until an American named Randy turns up and saves the day.
2	"Beer and Pickled Eggs"	11 October 1996
Gwynne borrows an executive toy from work which goes missing at the same time that local bad boy Spike Malarky turns up in the club. Dad eats too many pickled eggs and starts to dream.
3	"Does Broccoli Count?"	18 October 1996
Randy wants a new bed, but Idris won't budge on the idea. Postman Pat takes Moira to Southerndown for a day out, which makes Gwynne jealous, and Mandy and Randy become a couple.
4	"The Other Side"	25 October 1996
Dad is suffering from a bad case of boils, and Randy's alternative treatment causes Idris to have a visit from an old friend.
5	"The Rough Get Going"	1 November 1996
Randy starts looking for a job, so that he can stay in Wales, and Bridget is frightened by a group of dwarfs with machetes.
6	"Love and Rugby"	8 November 1996
Mandy wants Randy to prove that he loves her, but the men want to watch the international rugby match on the TV.

Series 2

Episode	Title	Original air date
1	"Hard Sell"	10 October 1997
Money is tight and the bills are piling up for the Prices, and matters are made worse when Dad gets conned by an unscrupulous door to door salesman.
2	"Cutting the Crusts off His Sandwiches"	17 October 1997
Dai has started to act strangely and Randy is turning down Mandy's affections.
3	"The Naked Truth"	24 October 1997
Mandy decides to take her clothes off in public, but Randy is against the idea. Gwynne tries to prove how intellectually superior he is, but Dad just wants to know if beetroot is nicer than ham.
4	"Life Begins at Forty"	31 October 1997
Gwynne's mental state becomes even more erratic as his 40th birthday approaches.
5	"With a Face Like Mine"	7 November 1997
Dad wants to be a grandfather but Gwynne and Moira are not keen on the idea.
6	"Bloody Yvonne"	14 November 1997
Moira and Gwynne's old friend Yvonne Lewis is coming to visit.

Series 3

Episode	Title	Original air date
1	"Fear and Trembling"	25 September 1998
Dai starts to panic when he finds out that the club inspector is on his way.
2	"Communications Breakdown"	2 October 1998
The Price family struggle to cope with the boredom after the TV set breaks down on a Saturday night.
3	"Chronicle of A Death Foretold"	9 October 1998
A fortune teller in the Cosmo club warns Gwynne of his impending death.
4	"Never Too Old"	16 October 1998
Gwynne is convinced that Dad's new lady friend Ellen is after his inheritance – or completely insane.
5	"Survival of the Fattest"	23 October 1998
Moira decides to get fit, and Dad's bladder is playing him up.
6	"13 Terminal Street"	30 October 1998
Randy gets a house and wants to leave so Dad has to think fast.
7	"From Here to Maternity"	3 March 1999
60 minute special - Moira's biological clock has started to tick.

External links

• Satellite City BBC programme page
• Satellite City at the Internet Movie Database