When I began watching series 3 of The Crown on Netflix, it took a while to adjust to Olivia Colman as The Queen, much as I admire her as an actress, mainly because I thought Claire Foy was magnificent as the young Queen. However, in episode 3, which covered the tragic events in October 1966 when a school in the Welsh mining village of Aberfan was buried in rubble from from a colliery spoil tip, resulting in the deaths of 116 children and 28 adults, she proved her worth as an actress. It couldn’t have been an easy role to play, with the Queen coming across as aloof and uncaring, then later caving in to pressure to make a personal visit to the scene of the tragedy, and finally shedding a tear while listening to a recording of a hymn which was played at one of the funerals. I vividly remember that awful event and the horror I felt, as I was a schoolgirl myself at the time, and it was hard to imagine something so terrible happening while attending class.
The horrifying scene of the tragedy was actually recreated in Elstree Studios. However, the focus of the drama was filmed back in Wales, including the use of local people as extras. The people concerned were offered counselling, as they were still traumatised by the event, and it became apparent that they had never before been offered such help.
The village chosen to play the role of Aberfan was the nearby village of Cwmaman, which is another typical Welsh mining village. The village includes several streets which are among the steepest in the United Kingdom. However, the village’s main claim to fame is the fact that the Welsh supergroup Stereophonics hail from Cwmaman. In spite of their fame, the band are not above putting in appearances in unexpected places, and in 2007 they appeared in the local Working Men’s Club, where they first performed.
Cwmaman. Photo by Bev, via Wikimedia Commons.
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