5 January 2026

Folk singer Gwilym Bowen Rhys is back for a new series on S4C, and this time he visits the Basque Country where he is spellbound by its communities’ special culture.

Gwilym says he can’t wait to start a new adventure in his latest series, Gwlad y Basg Gwilym Bowen Rhys (Gwilym Bowen Rhys’s Basque Country).

The four-part series will begin on S4C at 20.00 on 5 January and available to watch on S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer with Welsh and English subtitles.

In the last series, Gwilym was in Patagonia to meet members of the communities there where the Welsh language can be heard.

Now, he hopes to learn more about the culture of the Basque Country as he starts his journey to learn the Basque language.

As a Welshman who hopes to become an Euskaldun (Basque speaker), where better for Gwilym to start than to meet one Basque Country resident who has already learned Welsh.

He visits San Memes Stadium, the home of Athletic Bilbao – the Basque Country’s most famous football club.

And while he’s charmed by the Basque Country during his journey, Gwilym charms residents with his singing – in both Welsh and Basque.

“My music has taken me to many parts of the world, but there’s nowhere that has charmed me as much as the land called Euskal Herria, a small corner of northern Spain and southwestern France,” Gwilym said.

“I came here to sing 10 years ago, and I’ve returned here many times, but I have so much more to learn about its history, its culture, its traditions and its musical scene. And I’ve also started on the journey of learning the language.”

Sioned Geraint, S4C’s Children and Learners Content Commissioner, added: “At the start of a new year, many people will set resolutions for the year ahead and some even choosing to learn a new language.

“Gwilym Bowen Rhys’s journey around the Basque Country is one which will be familiar to a number of people in Wales who fully immerse themselves in Welsh culture as they learn the language.”