Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting: Hywel Gwynfryn

There are few presenters working in world broadcasting as experienced as Hywel Gwynfryn. A beloved and hugely recognisable name in Welsh language television and radio, the recipient of this year’s Special Award for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting has been an omnipresent force on the airwaves for six decades.

Born in Llangefni, Anglesey, and a Cardiff resident since 1960, Gwynfryn has been a part of BBC television in the country since 1964 – when he joined the Heddiw (Today) team. And he has been presenting on Welsh-language radio station BBC Radio Cymru since it’s inception in 1977. His compassionate manner, coupled with incisive questions, has elicited compelling and illuminating interviews with tens of thousands of people and he’s reported on many significant aspects of Welsh life and beyond.

He’s fronted popular Welsh children’s programming  and documentaries, too, including his eventful travelogue series Ar dy Feic (On Your Bike). And he’s also been an ever-present reporter from the annual National Eisteddfod of Wales festival. As a writer, he’s penned several pantomimes and books, including an insightful biography of Oscar-winning Welsh actor Hugh Griffith.