This is Video of the Week from Wales Arts Review. We’ll be showcasing some of the best art in Wales with a new video shared every week. From music to drama and everything in between, videos will not be limited by medium. Today’s video is Kayleigh Llewellyn’s acceptance speech after winning the award for ‘Best Writer: Drama’ at the 2022 BAFTA TV Craft Awards.
For this week’s video, we take a Kayleigh Llewellyn’s heartfelt speech after she won the award for ‘Best Writer: Drama’ at the 2022 BAFTA TV Craft Awards. Llewellyn was awarded for her show, In My Skin, a TV series which premiered on BBC Three in October of 2018, with the second series released last year. In My Skin has had an incredible response from critics and viewers alike.
In My Skin is set in Cardiff, a coming of age story that follows teenager, Bethan, who is attempting to come to terms with her mother’s mental illness, friendships and her own sexuality. Themes include the shame associated with growing up working class, or ‘benefit class’ as Llewellyn describes herself, as Bethan lives a double life at home and in front her friends. The TV series is heavily based on Llewellyn’s own experiences growing up. In an interview for The Guardian, Llewellyn said:
“I lived in fear that kids in my school would find out that my mum was frequently being sectioned. I thought they would make fun of me, ostracise me – or even worse, make fun of my mum.’
Llewllyn also talks about the process of separating fiction and reality in an interview with Wales Arts Review, saying:
“I’ve honed my ability to be ruthless. So if the truth is the most interesting thing, we use it, if not, it goes in the bin. I’m not precious about stuff like that – I’m not trying to do the TV version of my diary. It just transpires that a lot of it’s true because it’s what was most interesting.”
You can watch Kayleigh Llewellyn’s BAFTA acceptance speech below.
