S4C has commissioned a three-part drama titled Y Pennaeth (The Head Teacher), which will scrutinise the failures and missed opportunities to stop former headteacher and paedophile Neil Foden. Welsh actor Mark Lewis Jones will play Foden, who was previously headteacher at Friars School in Bangor, before he was arrested in 2023 and handed a 17-year prison sentence after being found guilty of sexually abusing four girls between 2019 and 2023.
Missed opportunities and independent review
An independent review in 2025 concluded that more than 50 chances to prevent him from continuing to sexually abuse girls had been squandered. The drama draws on evidence and documentation from the trial held at Mold Crown Court, alongside an independent report compiled by expert Jan Pickles.
Allegations against Neil Foden date back over 44 years.
Fictionalised elements to protect survivors
Y Pennaeth will tell the story through the eyes of two young girls who survived the abuse. These characters, along with many of the scenes, will be fictionalised in order to safeguard the identities of the survivors. The production will explore how Foden exploited the girls' personal vulnerabilities, the shortcomings of safeguarding protocols, and the repeated missed opportunities to prevent further offending.
The production company has also maintained contact with North Wales Police and survivors have also received professional support services.
Production and broadcast details
Y Pennaeth is being produced by MOJO Productions, who have spent the past 18 months developing the series alongside S4C. The screenplay is by Llinos Gerallt (Yr Amgueddfa, Rownd a Rownd, Pobol y Cwm), with Llyr Morus serving as producer and Huw Chiswell as director.
S4C's Drama and Film Commissioner Gwenllian Gravelle said: "This is an important and shocking story about how one man in a position of trust and power betrayed his status over a period of many years, and asks difficult questions about cultures where one individual is seen as someone who cannot be challenged."
"Developed with great care and sensitivity, the production deals with the subject in a responsible way, focusing on the wider results of the betrayal by a public figure who was entrusted with responsibility and care."
Y Pennaeth is scheduled to broadcast on S4C in 2027.
