A Beyond Paradise star has landed a new role in a dark comedy series set in Wales. Melanie Walters, known for playing Gwen West in Gavin and Stacey and appearing in the Beyond Paradise Christmas special, will star in Santa Maria alongside Siân Reese-Williams from The Light in the Hall.
The Swansea-based show centres on "two families from very different sides of the tracks whose lives are slowly entangled by the actions of saintly but strung-out cleaner Maria." Producers describe it as "warm, funny and vibrant" and "a far cry from our usual Welsh noir."
Collaboration Between ITV and S4C
Santa Maria is a joint venture between ITV and Welsh-language broadcaster S4C. It will first air in Welsh on S4C in early 2027 before broadcasting in English on ITV later that year.
Melanie Walters, who also appeared as a vampire in Being Human, is joined by Matthew Gravelle from The Pact, Hannah Daniel from Hinterland, Richard Harrington from Steeltown Murders, and Oliver John from Still Waters.
Creative Team Comments
Gwenllian Gravelle, S4C's head of film and drama, said: "Santa Maria explores the striking contrasts of life in Swansea, where two very different worlds exist side by side. Set against the city and Mumbles' iconic blue skies, this deliciously dark comedy-drama captures Swansea in all its diversity; vibrant, complex and unmistakably real."
Darren Nartey, head of content acquisitions at ITV, added: "We are very proud to be bringing this fascinating, quintessentially Welsh story to our audiences across ITV, and look forward to it gracing our screens in 2027."
Welsh politician Adam Price, cabinet minister for enterprise, connectivity, and energy, noted: "As a new government, we're committed to strengthening the Welsh creative sectors. We welcome the fact that Creative Wales' investment in this production has helped create jobs for our talented workforce, valuable experience for trainees, and is expected to deliver around £5.7m in economic return for Wales."
