IN October 2007, Ray Gravell, a man who for many embodied what it is to be Welsh, passed away after succumbing to complications resulting from contracting diabetes. He was 56 years old.

His life story is told in the show Grav, which is on at Aberystwyth Arts Centre on Saturday, 20 February, at 7.30pm, and Theatr Mwldan, Cardigan, on Tuesday, 23 February, 7.30pm.

Known to millions for his legendary exploits on the rugby field, Grav was, and is, so much more than that. An actor, a cultural icon, a father, a husband, a man with a life packed full of stories that deserve to be heard once more.

The Torch Theatre Company presents Gareth Bale as Grav in a play written by Owen Thomas that celebrates the man and the legend.

With the blessing of Mari, Ray’s widow, and contributions from his Welsh and British Lions teammates, this one-man show will explore the life of a man who was as fascinating away from the rugby field as he was on it.

Grav won the New Audience Award at the Wales Theatre Awards 2016.

Wales Theatre Awards director Mike Smith said: “The new Audience Award as voted online by audiences across Wales was presented to the Torch Theatre Company’s play Grav.

“Voting for Grav demonstrated how this one-man show really connected with audiences when it toured Wales.”

Directed by the Torch Theatre’s artistic director Peter Doran, Grav will remind the world once more of a unique life well lived and of a man who did so much more than eat soft centres.