Polish subtitles on Welsh TV show

O Flaen Dy Lygaid (Before Your Eyes), produced by the BBC and broadcast on Tuesday, is thought to be the first UK TV show to use subtitles in Polish.

The documentary will focus on Poles who moved to Wales decades before thousands settled after their nation joined the European Union in 2004.

S4C said the subtitles were a one-off and it had no plans to do it regularly.

The arrival of so many Poles in the UK has led to other initiatives such as Wales' first Polish support centre, which opened in Llanelli last year.

In north Wales, an estimated 10,000 Poles live in Wrexham alone, which has prompted the region's police force to recruit Polish-speaking officers.

Fled Poland

O Flaen Dy Lygaid producer Marc Edwards said: "Polish people in Wales helped us enormously in making the documentary and were thrilled we were taking an interest in their community," he said.

"The idea for subtitles in Polish really came from them. They wanted the programme to be available to Polish expats all over the UK and we were very happy to help make that happen."

Emlyn Penny Jones, S4C's head of content services added that the channel was "delighted" to be making "broadcasting history".

The programme will be presented by Barbara Owsianka who lives near Bangor in north Wales.

Mrs Owsianka was born and raised in London after her parents fled Poland after World War II.

She married a Welshman and they now raise their two children in three languages - Polish, Welsh and English.

Wrexham policeman, Keith Sinclair, who learned Polish to work with the growing immigrant community, will also feature in the programme.

O Flaen Dy Lygaid is on S4C on Tuesday, 5 June at 2100 BST

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