Llanddewi Brefi
From Freepedia
Llanddewi Brefi is a small village in Ceredigion (Cardiganshire), Wales. The English pronunciation of this Welsh name is (roughly) "Hlan-thewi Brevvy", the "th" being voiced (as in "than" rather than "think"), and the second and third syllables rhyming with "merry".
The village was founded in around AD 6. Legend states that Saint David, the patron saint of Wales lived in the village and it is named after him; "Llan" referring in Welsh place names to a church or holy place and "ddewi" being a Welsh variant of the name David (or, in the more usual Welsh version, Dafydd, pronounced "Da-vith"). The parish church is dedicated to St David and contains a modern statue of him.
Today the village is most famous as the fictional home of Daffyd Thomas, a character in the BBC comedy, Little Britain. The footage of the village in the comedy, however, is not shot in the real Llanddewi Brefi and, in fact, the locations used bear no resemblance to any part of the real village.
History and Description
Llanddewi Brefi is one of the largest parishes in Wales. Its parish church dates from the 12th century, on a site associated with religious worship since the 7th century. Fragments of much older buildings are incorporated into the Norman church. The church holds a collection of Norman crosses, some of the oldest religious artificats in the United Kingdom. The Synod of Brefi was held in the village in the sixth century. Legend holds that the small hill upon which the church stands marks the spot where the ground was miraculously raised up under St David so that he could be heard better at this Synod. In addition to the Anglican Church, there is a non-conformist chapel, two pubs and one shop. The village and the surrounding area are largely Welsh speaking and the local economy is dominated by sheep and dairy farming.
Little Britain
Llanddewi-Brefi is now more famous as the home of Daffyd Thomas, a character in the Little Britain comedy show, played by Matt Lucas. Daffyd is a homosexual man, who believes himself to be "the only gay in the village". However, in the show, Llanddewi-Brefi appears to have a fairly large gay population, despite its small size, and many of its inhabitants are either gay or have had gay experiences. The fictional view of the village also sees a very tolerant attitude to homosexuality, with gay nights at the pub and lesbian pottery lessons on offer. Daffyd's encounters with homosexuality and reluctance to believe the acceptance and existence of other gay men and women form the background to the comedy sketches. However, inhabitants of the real village report that, as of 2004, there were no known homosexuals living there.
Daffyd however has been controversial for other reasons, particularly as it has been claimed he constitutes a racial stereotype, although this is probably intentional and meant as ironic as Lucas is gay, himself.
