Curious Under the Stars

Jan 8, 2026 10:55 PM

Author:Annamaria Murphy,Alan Harris,Meic Povey,Aimee Ffion Edwards,Louise Ford,Elis James,Amy Hoggart,Ifan Huw Dafydd,Full Cast,Emma Sidi

All eleven series of the mystical drama set in the wild Welsh coastal village of Glan Don

When Gareth finds his wife Diane in bed with another man, the couple attempt to save their marriage by uprooting from London to the West Wales village where Gareth grew up, and buying the local pub. It's a bit of a dive - the wallpaper's peeling, there are squirrels in the saloon bar and something's growing out of the pool table. But it's got potential, and they're determined to make a go of it.

Soon, the locals are flocking to The Druid's Rest - and as Diane discovers, her husband's old friends are an eccentric bunch. There's ex-soldier Gwyn, who carries a machine gun everywhere; garrulous waitress Megan; cook Matty, whose dishes cast a spell over everyone who eats them; and enigmatic potman (and narrator) Emlyn, who seems built into the fabric of Glan Don. And then there's Bethan - beautiful, bewitching Bethan, Gareth's teenage sweetheart, who may still have a hold on his heart...

If the villagers are strange, Glan Don itself is even stranger. Steeped in ancient folklore, it is both eerie and enchanting. The sea is an all-pervading presence, magical and menacing in turn, home to mermaids and submerged forests. On land are haunted caves, dark woods, ruined castles, old lead mines - and legendary beings including ghosts, dragons, witches and the King under the Hill.

As Gareth and Diane struggle to cope with the dual challenges of running a pub and dealing with the supernatural, will Glan Don bring them closer together - or tear them apart?

Starring Elis James (Tourist Trap), Louise Ford (Chickens), Amy Hoggart (Almost Royal), Emma Sidi (W1A), Ifan Huw Dafydd (Gavin & Stacey) and Amy Ffion Edwards (Detectorists), Curious Under the Stars takes us deep into a Welsh landscape of myth, magic and mayhem.

Gareth - Elis James/Sion Pritchard/Richard Elis

Diane - Louise Ford/Amy Hoggart/Emma Sidi

Emlyn - Ifan Huw Dafydd

Bethan - Eiry Hughes/Hannah Daniel

Gwyn - Matthew Gravelle

Matty - Siw Hughes

Megan - Aimee-Ffion Edwards/Gwyneth Keyworth

Pierre - Lee Mengo

Gwyneth/Customer - Kath Weare

Charlie - Donal Gallery

Magda - Wanda Opalinska

Gregor - Marc Danbury

Guto - John Weldon

Referee/Doctor - Mike Bubbins

Gertrude - Joanna Scanlan

Fluffy - Sion Pritchard

Hadrian - Paul Rhys

Geraint - John Pierce-Jones

Fleur - Catrin Stewart

The Ghost - Owain Gwynn

Anwen - Juno Robinson

Created by Meic Povey

Written by Meic Povey, Annamaria Murphy and Alan Harris

Directed by James Robinson and Nigel Lewis

A BBC Cymru Wales Production

Music: Knee-Deep in the North Sea by Portico Quartet

Reviews

Condé's story is rich and colorful and glorious. It sprawls over continents and centuries to find its way into the reader's heart

—— Maya Angelou

A stunning reaffirmation of Africa and its peoples... It's a starburst

—— John A. Williams

The grand queen, the empress, of Caribbean literature

—— Fiammetta Rocco , Guardian

Maryse Condé is an extraordinary storyteller who brings the history of an African kingdom alive as vividly as if it existed today. Suspenseful, shocking, panoramic and hugely engrossing, the novel explores the politics and impact of external and domestic forces on nineteenth century west Africa through wonderfully realised characters and their complicated relationships. This is a great novel: unputdownable and unforgettable

—— Bernardine Evaristo

If there were no tools on a desert island, I would take Segu by Maryse Condé. This generational family saga has so many layers that I can read and reread it, in between figuring out how to build a raft

—— Chibundu Onuzo , Time Out

Richly textured and detailed, this narrative, alternating between the lives of various characters, illuminates magnificently a little known historical period. Virtually every page glitters with nuggets of cultural fascination

—— Howard Kaplan , Los Angeles Times

A wondrous novel about a period of African history few other writers have addressed

—— Charles L. Larson , New York Times Book Review

Previous Article：Segu Next Article：High Fidelity

Comments

Welcome to zzdbook comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.