Former international rugby player, Scott Quinnell, is currently filming a new series for S4C which will be shown in the Autumn – Cais Quinnell.
In the series, Scott will visit some of Wales’ most curious places while experiencing the crazy and diverse activities they have to offer. Some of these activities include visiting a spa for pigs; learning to yodel and Scott also gets a lesson in how to be a drag queen. He will also be accompanied by some of Wales’ most familiar faces in each programme.
Scott has continued to learn Welsh since appearing on Iaith ar Daith programme in 2020 and his confidence to speak Welsh in public has grown, he says:
“Learning Welsh and having the confidence to use it has opened so many doors for me personally. It’s true that being able to speak two languages doubles the opportunities to be able to do more diverse things.”
Scott is happy that he has been able to take advantage of what he learned on the Iaith ar Daith programme to develop a career for himself through the Welsh language by presenting a TV series of his own.
“I make mistakes, but if you don’t then you don’t develop. If you don’t make mistakes how do you learn? It’s true that I’m a lot more tired at the end of a day of filming because I’m doing tasks and speaking Welsh – getting to learn a new skill and learning Welsh at the same time all in front of the camera, well that’s the way to do it.”
Scott will also continue to receive Welsh lessons with his language tutor, Aran Jones from Say Something in Welsh. S4C’s Welsh language learning platforms will provide parts of these lessons to be seen more widely.
This series is part of S4C’s provision to encourage new Welsh speakers to practise their Welsh language whilst watching Welsh language programmes and to build confidence to speak and use the language. S4C is a passionate supporter and promoter of opportunities for everyone to use Welsh.
Sara Peacock, S4C’s Head of Welsh Language Strategy:
“S4C is delighted to be able to support everyone who commits to learning Welsh, at all levels, so it has been a pleasure to follow Scott on his journey from being a pure beginner towards a new speaker. His perseverance and positive attitude have been an inspiration to us all. This new series will show how these new skills can help everyone do the most important thing of all – speak our language in our day-to-day lives.”
Although Scott has won more than fifty caps for Wales and played for the Lions, he admits learning Welsh has been among the toughest challenges he has faced: “Playing rugby is easy for me, I’ve played it all my life. Learning Welsh has been a challenge but I’ve enjoyed immersing myself in the language and I’m keen to carry on.” One of Scott’s favourite sayings in Welsh is ‘man a man’ meaning ‘might as well’ – a symbol of his positive attitude to the Welsh language.
