The first Welshman to reach Number One, Ricky Valance's life has been defined by just one monster hit: Tell Laura I Love Her. Despite being in showbusiness for more than 50 years he's never had another UK hit. What is it like to be known for just one song when personally and professionally you feel you are so much more? Ricky's fans may be ageing and the venues may be smaller but he still takes to the stage, determined to dispel the one-hit wonder label. In this film Ricky, born David Spencer in Ynysddu, Gwent, talks frankly about the legacy of the song he is contractually bound to sing at every gig and the ups and downs of life on the road, from Sixties adulation to nervous breakdowns. Loyal wife Evelyn says she dreams of him having another number one and, as we see him performing near his home on the Costa Blanca in Spain and at the Newbridge Memorial Hall where he met her, he reveals that, as long as his voice holds out, he'll keep on trying.
The man from Tonypandy who wrote 'It's Not Unusual' and was the Simon Cowell of his day, masterminding the careers of Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck and Gilbert O'Sullivan. With full and exclusive access to the Mills family, this intimate film tells - for the first time - the remarkable story of Gordon Mills through the eyes of the people who knew him best.
Andy Fairweather Low first shot to fame as the baby-faced frontman of 60s hitmakers Amen Corner. In the 70s he scaled the heights and plumbed the depths as a solo artist. In the 80s he reinvented himself and for the next twenty years plied his trade as a session guitarist for some of the world's biggest acts, including Eric Clapton, George Harrison, and Pink Floyd's Roger Waters. Now he is back on the road fronting his own band again. And he says 'I've just got to play. It's all I can do and all I want to do'. It's been an extraordinary journey by any standards. This is his story, told in his own words.
Swansea's Pete Ham is an unsung hero of British pop music. With his band, Badfinger, he wrote the international smash hit single 'Without You', but the talented songwriter died tragically young. The Badfinger story is the stuff of legend. The first band to sign to the Beatles' Apple label, they seemed to be heading for financial and creative success. How did it all go wrong? Featuring revealing and emotional interviews with the people closest to them, this is a celebration of the creative talent of Pete Ham and his band, Badfinger.
Shirley Bassey is the most successful female British chart artist of all time and the first Welsh artist to reach No 1 in the charts. They Sold a Million: Shirley Bassey celebrates Wales's greatest diva in her 60th year in showbusiness. The film focuses on her early break through the years from her upbringing in Cardiff's Tiger Bay and Splott, her performances in clubs and theatre in the mid-50s, through to her first chart successes and the recording of Goldfinger. The documentary features interviews with her friends and contemporaries such as the great Welsh comedian Wyn Calvin, dancer Louise Freeman, Goldfinger lyricist Leslie Bricusse, as well as previous interviews with Shirley. The film explores the ingredients which made Shirley Bassey a unique international phenomenon which has endured and recalls some of her greatest performances, such as Glastonbury in 2007.