Pobol y Cwm (meaning 'The Valley People') is set in the fictional village of Cwmderi, which is located in the vicinity of Cwm Gwendraeth, near Carmarthen in South Wales.
Pobol y Cwm is BBC's longest running television soap opera.
The first episode of Pobol y Cwm was broadcast on BBC1 Wales on 16 October 1974.
Originally, Pobol y Cwm was broadcast once a week.
From 1988 it was broadcast 5 nights a week and an English subtitled edition was also introduced.
In the seventies and early eighties 30 episodes per year were broadcast. Today there are 260 episodes per year!
Pobol y Cwm is consistently one of S4C's top-rating series of the week.
There are lots of viewers of Pobol y Cwm who watch the series outside Wales, and it is also shown on Forces' tv for soldiers on tours of duty.
The Deri pub has been in the series since episode 1 first aired in October 1974. It has now been re-located to the main street in Cwmderi following a destructive fire in early 2008.
Some of the regular supporting artists have been in the series longer than some main actors.
When a new character is written into the series the casting director will arrange for auditions with several actors through their agents.
An initial biography is written of each new character as they are introduced into the series for writers to know their background.
One of the series' most famous stars is Hollywood actor Ioan Gruffudd, who started his career on Pobol y Cwm as the character Gareth Wyn
