John On The Rhondda artwork

John On The Rhondda

110 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago -

From the Valley that fuelled the world with its coal, and a community with a thirst for fair play and fair shares – John Geraint Roberts brings us places, people and ideas that lit up a famous past and can help shape a better future.

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Episodes

Rhondda History

January 10, 2024 17:15 - 9 minutes - 11.4 MB

A (very) brief history of the Rhondda - outlining whens, whys and wherefores of the valley that fuelled the world and inspired the Rhondda Heritage Project.

The Rhondda Heritage Hour

January 03, 2024 17:28 - 11 minutes - 16.5 MB

Launching a year-long festival of heritage programmes on Rhondda Radio, Creative Director John Geraint explains the vision behind the project.

Up The Rhondda!

November 22, 2023 15:39 - 14 minutes - 13.6 MB

Introducing a new book... 'Up The Rhondda!' by John Geraint, published by Y Lolfa and available at ylolfa.com or from any good bookshop

Rhondda Voices

November 08, 2023 16:00 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MB

The first Storytelling Workshop for the Rhondda Heritage Project took place in an iconic Rhondda location, as Creative Director of the project, John Geraint, explains...

Rhondda Heritage

September 20, 2023 15:00 - 10 minutes - 9.27 MB

Announcing a major National Lottery Heritage Fund grant enabling Rhondda Radio to build a Heritage Trail through both Valleys, and to broadcast a year-long 'festival' of history programmes. There's a training scheme upskilling local people so that they can contribute their stories too.

Tonypandy Ton Up

January 25, 2023 15:47 - 19 minutes - 17.6 MB

It's finally arrived - the 100th episode! But John Geraint Roberts' plans for it have been disturbed by a disturbing dream...

Centenary Quiz - part three

January 18, 2023 15:39 - 14 minutes - 13.2 MB

With the 100th episode of 'John On The Rhondda' coming up next time, the final round of our quiz is all about Rhondda values, and why John Geraint Roberts believes we should continue to cherish them.

Centenary Quiz - part two

January 11, 2023 16:00 - 18 minutes - 17.1 MB

With the 100th episode of 'John On The Rhondda' fast approaching, round two of the quiz tests your knowledge of Rhondda music - and gives you the chance to listen again some of the Valley's greatest hits.

Centenary Quiz - part one

January 04, 2023 16:00 - 14 minutes - 13.4 MB

With the 100th episode of 'John On The Rhondda' fast approaching, John Geraint Roberts presents highlights of the back-catalogue, and tests your knowledge of Rhondda schools and cinemas, in the first round of a three-part quiz.

Dad

December 28, 2022 16:00 - 10 minutes - 9.63 MB

John Geraint is the son of a preacher man. Here's the story of his late father, David James Roberts: fisherman, teacher, lifelong teetotaller and Baptist deacon with enormous reserves of patience - and a wicked sense of humour!

Dad Dancing

December 21, 2022 15:48 - 10 minutes - 9.94 MB

An unforgettable night out in Treorchy... in aid of the Rhian Griffiths Forget Me Not Fund, a charitable cause that's well worth supporting. 

Valleys Kids

December 14, 2022 17:24 - 10 minutes - 9.5 MB

One Rhondda charity has inspired and supported young people for forty years - but it had never seen anything like the pandemic before. It rose to the challenge magnificently.

Christmas Present

December 07, 2022 15:39 - 15 minutes - 14.6 MB

If you’re anything like John Geraint, the frantic search for gifts has only just begun, if it’s begun at all. But don't panic, this Christmas he's here to help, with a wonderful suggestion for you...

Buried Treasure

November 30, 2022 15:39 - 10 minutes - 9.29 MB

The most fantastic discovery ever made within reach of the Rhondda - and it all came about because John Geraint Roberts' grandfather needed a glass of drinking water.

The Choir

November 23, 2022 16:00 - 10 minutes - 9.31 MB

'Choral bull-fights’, betting, missile throwing, assaults on adjudicators... You can’t beat a good Welsh male voice choir. Even if you've beaten them. John Geraint Roberts delves into the backstory of Rhondda's fiercest musical rivalry.

World Cup Heroes

November 16, 2022 15:50 - 9 minutes - 9.04 MB

Only two managers have ever taken Wales to soccer's World Cup Finals. And they were both born in the same Valley. A coincidence? John Geraint Roberts doesn't think so!

Ponty

November 09, 2022 15:34 - 10 minutes - 9.66 MB

What's in a name? In Pontypridd, it seems, quite a lot. That's not the reason, though, that John Geraint Roberts is heading there this week.

Fair Play

October 26, 2022 14:39 - 10 minutes - 9.95 MB

It's the biggest female sports initiative in Wales. It's having a huge impact. And it all happens right here in the Rhondda, where it began...

Belonging

October 19, 2022 14:54 - 10 minutes - 9.65 MB

'Where do you come from?' It's something Rhondda people often ask. It’s not until we go away from home, or meet people from elsewhere, that we begin to realise that not everyone approaches the question in the same way.

Gateway To The Stars

October 12, 2022 16:48 - 10 minutes - 9.95 MB

Did you know that there's a place on Mars named after a town in the Rhondda? There is. Honest, now! And it's quite some town...

A Peculiar Sort Of Hiraeth

October 05, 2022 17:22 - 9 minutes - 8.9 MB

A Saturday afternoon stroll through Penygraig, where the past hangs heavy in the air... but the future beckons too.

The Rhondda Star From Sunderland

September 28, 2022 15:00 - 10 minutes - 9.5 MB

A new book about one of the heroes of 'the Mid' - the Mid-Rhondda Athletic Ground -  'Jimmy Seed: Rhondda's Adopted Son' by Phil Rowlands, makes us think about second chances, outsiders... and our aspirations for the place we live in. 

A Journey Around My Readers

September 21, 2022 15:00 - 9 minutes - 9.06 MB

A big thank you to those who've read and responded to 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' by John Geraint published by Cambria Books

Rhondda and Royalty

September 14, 2022 15:00 - 9 minutes - 8.82 MB

Street parties and royal visits, celebrations and now mourning. Rhondda's relationship with royalty in the light of events of recent days. Some respectful thoughts from a republican, John Geraint Roberts. 

The Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part ten

September 07, 2022 15:00 - 12 minutes - 11.2 MB

John Geraint reads the tenth and last extract from 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel'. The whole novel is available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.

The Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part nine

August 31, 2022 15:00 - 13 minutes - 12.1 MB

John Geraint reads the ninth extract from 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.

The Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part eight

August 24, 2022 14:50 - 9 minutes - 9.16 MB

John Geraint reads the eighth extract from 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.

The Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part seven

August 17, 2022 15:00 - 13 minutes - 12.3 MB

John Geraint reads the seventh extract from 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.

The Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part six

August 10, 2022 15:00 - 11 minutes - 11 MB

John Geraint reads the sixth extract from 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.

The Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part five

August 03, 2022 15:00 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MB

John Geraint reads the fifth extract from 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.

The Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part four

July 27, 2022 15:00 - 15 minutes - 14 MB

John Geraint reads the fourth extract from 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.

The Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part three

July 20, 2022 15:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MB

John Geraint reads the third part of 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.

The Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part two

July 13, 2022 15:00 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MB

John Geraint reads the second part of 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.

The Great Welsh Auntie Novel - part one

July 06, 2022 15:00 - 12 minutes - 12 MB

John Geraint reads the first part of 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel' - available from Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) and all good bookshops.

My Rhondda Novel - part two

June 29, 2022 15:00 - 15 minutes - 14.7 MB

Writing a book is a challenge - even if it's about the Rhondda! John Geraint reflects on some of the demons he wrestled with in creating 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel'. 

My Rhondda Novel

June 22, 2022 15:37 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MB

It wasn't just a dream! John Geraint really has written a book - 'The Great Welsh Auntie Novel'. And it'll be published by Cambria Books (cambriabooks.co.uk) at the beginning of July 2022. Here's John talking about what his 'love letter to the Rhondda' aims to celebrate.

He Writes Like A Dream...

June 15, 2022 15:00 - 9 minutes - 8.57 MB

There's a rumour around the valley that a new novel about the Rhondda will be out soon. It's all about someone who sounds very like John Geraint Roberts. It's causing him a bit of anxiety. No wonder he's been talking to himself again!

Treorchy - Higher and Higher

June 08, 2022 17:09 - 10 minutes - 9.72 MB

A new video celebrating the continuing successes of Treorchy's fabulous High Street brings back memories for John Geraint Roberts of childhood bus rides to the town - and prompts him to commend those who've led Treorchy to new heights as an inspiration which the whole Rhondda could take to heart.  

Rhondda Fach

May 25, 2022 14:44 - 11 minutes - 10.4 MB

'The Other Valley' - from Maerdy down to Porth: so much rich history, and a little bit of friendly rivalry with the Rhondda Fawr! Join John Geraint Roberts on a jaunt through the villages of the Fach, ending up at the wonderful Workers Gallery in Ynyshir.

The Record Shop

May 18, 2022 14:40 - 14 minutes - 13.8 MB

Do you remember the very first LP you bought? And where you bought it? John Geraint Roberts owes his musical education to a very special retail outlet in a very special place: Tonypandy Square.

Cambrian Voices

May 11, 2022 14:38 - 9 minutes - 8.58 MB

Fifty-seven years ago, thirty-one Rhondda men died in an underground explosion in the Cambrian Colliery, Clydach Vale. As the anniversary of the Disaster approaches, John Geraint Roberts honours those who died, and those who worked there and survived the Disaster, by sharing some of their memories of what the pit was like as a workplace: the tough times and backbreaking work, the camaraderie too, the jokes and the pranks.

Libraries Gave Us Power...

May 04, 2022 14:48 - 11 minutes - 10.5 MB

… but it was Rhondda people themselves who powered up those libraries. In the 1930s, an astonishing 40,000 books were in circulation in mid-Rhondda alone. Across both valleys, twenty-one Miners’ Libraries, established and paid for by the workers themselves, fed Rhondda’s voracious appetite for reading. Because learning was the path to a better future…

Dim Problem

April 13, 2022 14:46 - 7 minutes - 7.08 MB

If you've spent some time in Wales, you probably speak a bit of Welsh, even if you don't speak Welsh, if you see what John Geraint Roberts means. And if you've spent any time at all in the Rhondda, you've almost certainly got a lot more Welsh than you realise...

Porth County Teachers and Pupils

April 06, 2022 15:20 - 10 minutes - 9.51 MB

Some stars of schooldays sat at desks; some stood in front of the blackboard. A school magazine from the 1960s takes John Geraint Roberts much further back in time, to days when classroom conditions were scarcely tolerable. And prompts him top reveal the secret that every teacher knows...

Rhondda Weddings

March 30, 2022 17:27 - 9 minutes - 8.8 MB

If you were the marrying kind, where did you tie the knot? Church, chapel or registry office? For better or worse, John Geraint Roberts recalls some memorable matrimonial occasions from his past, even though he never had a Rhondda Wedding himself. 

Shop At The Kwop?

March 23, 2022 15:37 - 10 minutes - 10.1 MB

The Co-operative Stores. What do you call them? 'The Coe-Op'? Or the 'Kwop'? Or the 'Kop' even. John Geraint Roberts' family were stalwart members of the Penygraig Industrial Co-operative Society, and they knew what to call it - and what kind of service they expected when they shopped there. After all, the shop belonged to them (and to all the 6,000 other members).

The Power House

March 16, 2022 15:48 - 9 minutes - 9.25 MB

This Grade II listed building provided the power which drove the fans and pumps that kept the Glamorgan Collieries in Llwynypia functioning. It was at the centre of one of the most momentous episodes in our history - the Cambrian Combine Dispute which led to the Tonypandy Riots in 1910. Now it's up for auction. John Geraint Roberts believes it's a place that can play a part in our future too - but it needs saving and restoring in order to do that.

Llwynypia Hospital

March 09, 2022 16:14 - 10 minutes - 9.81 MB

The birthplace of thousands of Rhondda children, the hospital at Llwynypia was originally a workhouse. Its history spans the decades before and after the birth of the NHS. John Geraint Roberts is proud to have entered this world there - and his Mam was very relieved: he was nearly born on a geriatric ward!

'Mid-Rhondda': Back On Track

March 02, 2022 15:40 - 10 minutes - 9.45 MB

A David-against-Goliath victory for a Rhondda campaign seeking to safeguard a much-loved green space for community use... it may seem a small thing in the grand scheme of global affairs, but in dark and desperate days, it's an inspiration, says John Geraint Roberts.

Rhondda Billionaires

February 16, 2022 15:59 - 9 minutes - 9.1 MB

Money... and how it's earned. It's a strange thing. Fortunes were accumulated from Rhondda coal - but not by those who dug it out. John Geraint Roberts weighs up the idea of a 'self-made billionaire' - and finds it lacks all substance, certainly when compared with the tonnage shifted by his grandfather and his butties.