Press
1 April 2026
As spring finally makes an appearance, S4C brings viewers even more natural beauty and astonishing wildlife in the broadcaster’s brand-new series, Nôl o’r Dibyn (Back from the Brink). The series follows naturalist and broadcaster Iolo Williams on a hopeful journey throughout Wales and Europe, sharing stories about protecting, restoring and making room for wildlife to flourish in our towns and cities.
Nôl o’r Dibyn starts on S4C at 8.25 on 1 April ac will be available on S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer with English and Welsh subtitles.
"Over the next twenty-five years it is crucial that every country in Europe does their best to protect the habitats we have left," explains Iolo Williams, who originally comes from Llanddwyn in the Efyrnwy Valley. "Urban projects can also play a big part in this by creating nature reserves on our streets and in our communities. The good news is that simple changes can have huge results."
In the first programme of the new series, we follow the story of the recovery of otters in south and west Wales, see how the mink has survived the fur industry in northern Spain, and learn how the city of Belfast has succeeded in attracting the starling back.
"Over the years the number of otters in Wales have dropped significantly," explains Iolo, who’s been passionate about nature from a young age. "They were at their peak in the 1950s, but after chemicals and agricultural pollutants were introduced, the numbers went down very quickly."
Since then, several projects and plans have been put in place to restore the otter's habitat. Iolo takes us down to Afon y Llan in Swansea, to learn more about one such project run by the West Wales Riverts Trust.
“This is a culvert, they’re problematic,” explains Andrew Thomas, who works for the Trust. “There’s concrete underfoot, and the water funnels in, and there’s a lot of pressure. There isn’t enough space for the river to flow out, and the water is very fast so the otters can’t come up.”
To tackle the problem, the West Wales Rivers Trust in partnership with Swansea Council installed mammal shelves under the bridges, so that otters can get across safely without having to cross the busy road above.
“Since they were installed in February not a single otter has been killed, so it shows that it’s working. And we’re in the middle of Swansea! Who would think that we have otters here? So it’s so important that we look after them.”
Another positive story about brining wildlife back comes from the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland. The starling used to roost under the city’s Albert Bridge, but following recent developments along the banks of the river Lagan, and newly installed bright lights, the starling numbers had dropped significantly. Similar themes are explored elsewhere in the programme, including the lives of starlings in Wales at Aberystwyth Pier.
“We create a portfolio of evidence that we could give to them to say this is an issue and this corresponds to these developments,” says local ecologist, Conor Mckinney. “Can you help us fix it? And thankfully to be fair, they were brilliant. They really came through.”
Changes were implemented to make the area darker at night, and therefore more attractive to starlings. One side of the streetlamps were covered in black, and the bright white lights were changed to softer orange ones.
“This could have been a tragic case study, but thankfully we can use it as a positive one. And send out a message that, actually, development doesn’t need to be at the expense of the biodiversity within the area; simple solutions can be found to preserve it.”