Actors from Gwynedd are believed to have made broadcasting history by becoming the first in the UK to complete a comedy drama series in lockdown by creating a cast and crew bubble in a disused pub on the Llyn Peninsula.

Production of new sitcom Rybish (Rubbish) was halted in March by the coronavirus but, undeterred, Gwynedd-based production company Cwmni Da came up with a plan to carrying on.

Everyone self-isolated for a fortnight before resuming and tested regularly throughout the shoot.

They include Sion Pritchard from Porthmadog and Mair Tomos Ifans who hails from Harlech and lives in Dinas Mawddwy, and when not working, they holed up in an empty pub, The Beuno, in Clynnog Fawr on the Llyn.

They also built their own recycling centre on a landfill site at Carmel, near Caernarfon, and used fixed cameras controlled remotely to film the remaining episodes in the six-part series.

Director Sion Aaron said: “We’d filmed three episodes of Rybish before the health crisis.

“As we were filming the very first take of the fourth episode, we had a call from the office to tell us to drop tools due to the coronavirus.

“When lockdown started to ease we - the cast of six, the writer and producer and myself - were able to form a bubble so we could live together after taking over The Beuno, which closed years ago, and work together to film the remaining episodes.

“Before the health crisis we had already decided to film the series in a unique way which meant camera operators and sound recordists could work remotely anyway.

“We created a new role, our Covid Cop, who was on set at all times to ensure compliance with Covid-19 regulations.

“We built our own recycling centre after hiring skips from Gwynedd Council who gave us fantastic support.”

He added: “I know some soap operas are also back filming, using camera techniques that make it look like the actors are closer than they are. We didn’t want that.

“As most of the action in Rybish takes place in a workers’ cabin that just wouldn’t have worked. There wouldn’t be enough space, and it would’ve been harder for the cast to relax into their characters.

“We believe ours is the first scripted comedy series in the UK to be completed in this way during the coronavirus pandemic.”

Producer Barry Jones, who also penned Rybish, was delighted to finish filming.

“The fact we built our own set in such a remote setting meant we were isolated and didn’t the public stopping by,” he said.

“It took me a long time to write and I spent days sat in huts at recycling centres listening to staff, observing what goes on and what they talk about. It gave me a real insight and lots of ideas.”

Cwmni Da general manager David Parry Evans was christened Covid Cop on set.

“It was my job to ensure we had sufficient supplies of hand sanitizer and everything was wiped kept clean and sanitised,” he said.

“If a camera operator needed to go into the cabin on set then I’d ensure it was deep cleaned afterwards.

“I had my two metre rod to ensure everyone moving around the set was two metres apart and wearing a face mask. I was obviously quite good at the job hence the Covid Cop nickname I was given!”