Maesteg | Welsh Short Documentary by Theodore Tennant | Short of the Week

Stumpy drives taxis. He’s been driving taxis in Maesteg, an ex-mining town in the Welsh Valleys, for over 20 years. A lot has changed. This short documentary follows a day in Stumpy’s life as he picks up his regular fares and journeys to the heart of life in the Valleys.
A Featured Short Documentary Selection on Short of the Week:
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"Wales voted leave in the pivotal BREXIT vote, and 2 years in, hasn't changed their mind. This isn't a political film by any stretch-it's a gentle, frequently funny, observational documentary, but this sort of verité look at the forgotten communities of Wales is very much a needed perspective when trying to understanding modern Europe". - S/W
www.theodoretennant.com
Filmed & Directed : Theodore Tennant
Produced : Tom Tennant
Executive for the BFI : Matimba Kabalika
Executive producer for the BBC : Emma Cahusac
Executive Producer for Wingspan Productions : Deborah Lee
Editor : Leila Gaabi
Composer : Alex Jefferies
Sound Design & Dubbing Mix : Fred Pearson
Colourist : Brendan Buckingham
Post Production Producers : Laura Harris & Dan Kreeger

[@AnthonyWilliams-ew3wp]

I played for Wasps RFC U21’s against Maesteg years ago. It was like gladiatorial combat with the whole town turning out to watch us get a kicking. Brutal place. They were great in the bar afterwards. Lovely people.

[@PositiveRaincloud]

Lived in Maesteg almost my whole life, but sadly moved away when my granny who I was caring for passed away. I used to always go up the mountains there. I miss Caerau WENDELLS chips so much...

[@logandahne6117]

Honest maybe brutal documentary .........and most beautiful too ......and the humour second to none. Tough people who are in the moment and sincere. Born near there for first 20 years of my life .........and miss it /them the people who make this place special xxx

[@BenDPB]

I've just moved to Maesteg from Luton and we love it, we lived in an area that regularly had stabbings and gangs roaming around so this for us is bliss.

[@kevinbayliss8033]

Just moving from Hemel Hempstead to here.

[@pastytit]

Lovely town.

[@belafistric1437]

bloody hell, quite a change from luton to maesteg!

[@dhammo749]

Visit the station hotel .tell um moose sent yer .

[@at5297]

Migrants, I take it?

[@tompowell218]

After watching this you start to realise how strange and sometimes depressing maesteg is. Big up Steve too, best taxi driver going

[@shortoftheweek]

We had to look on a map just to figure out where it was! Apparently so did the filmmaker. Check out our review linked in the description box for the full account!

[@pastytit]

Depressing people making it bad for the rest. Calling maesteg it a shit hole and doing nothing about it instead of looking at the good side. Spoiled we are. Some people would love to live here.

[@ChelseaLupkin]

I was thoroughly charmed by this short!

[@veegerman6135]

My auntie lived in Caerau, my uncle lived on the Tudor Estate. I recall the days of full employment when the pits were in production. A visit with my uncle to Coegnant is an experience that I'll never forget. But, as the film expresses so eloquently, all that is gone. so sad .

[@soultaff]

Shite , I miss “ gods country 😭 “ diolch yn fawr iwan cymru ❤️🙏🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿. So proud of my country 💪🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 xxx !

[@eileenpritchard9154]

I miss Glyncorrwg,left at 15 for work but it's still home to me,my family are buried in Cymmer, God bless them🌹🪻💐💐💐

[@pb4378]

This is a really powerful documentary. 25 years ago, I used to live in church village, near Pontypridd, I worked in Cardiff and Newport. Does anyone remember that ill-fated LG Semicon factory in Newport.. The past 20 years, I’ve lived in Australia. It’s sad and confronting to see this documentary, but I really respect that it’s being honest and not shying away from the truth… Boris Johnson/Tory Westminster seems a million miles away… I find it hard to accept that wealth in Britain is so skewed. Good people in this video are British citizens, yes they are struggling with massive social and economic problems. Surely Wales is better off supporting itself in terms of government? I originally come from Ireland, so I’ve got a good sense of independence and understanding how important it is for people to be able to speak to their political representatives and get the issues that matter to them spoken about in parliament…

[@AnthonyVassallo]

Tremendous. Touching.

[@thpxs0554]

I was in Portland borstal 1983/84 with a lot of welsh lads. There was a boxer from Maesteg called Steve, and another lad, really nice bloke, the accent was harsher than say Tredegar or Merthyr. Seemed to be a lot of rivalry between them especially Swansea and Cardiff.

[@davidthomas8733]

maesteg is splendid

[@thecentralclub]

We need to find this man!

[@keithjones5365]

Good people trying their best in a tough place 😍

[@ABCDEF-yf4yu]

I have driven an Austin Maestro in Maesteg when I visited the town over 20 years ago.

[@pastytit]

Lovely town stunning place to live. Not a shit hole as some say.

[@adamturner1563]

Loved it. I didnt live far from this Taxi driver once.

[@markjones336]

I was a miner,17yrs,not far from there.Great biking roads!(motorbikes)👍

[@MrSalvia18]

I Love stuff like this ☺️

[@gaff66tube40]

A lot of that scenery footage is around Aber/Blaengwynfi and the top of the Afan valley and Bwlch

[@brandonchippendale8398]

great video, from hereford

[@SeriouslyJaded]

I grew up in Maesteg - this hardly shows Maesteg at all. Most of the views are from areas outside of the town.

[@mr.noseybonk8716]

Yeah, even showed parts of the Bolch, way away from Maesteg lol

[@kayerk]

4:08 It's a shame he felt the need to litter in such a beautiful area. Take some pride where you live man!

[@susek44]

I worked in village called Carau near maesteg in 1994 for about a month. I was from Bristol and it was like a totally different country and culture for me .

[@crywlf9103]

That’s because it is a different country and culture

[@ynysmones3816]

​@@crywlf9103exactly!

[@richardr2716]

You didn’t work in a village called carau near maesteg at all as it’s actually called Caerau and it is maesteg not a village near😂

[@susek44]

@@richardr2716 it was 1994 and I was only there for month . So a distant memory and not that good at Welsh Town and Village names. I remember a place near by called Nantyfifinonn and Pontydifefenon . You can correct me on that to😅

[@truthseeker7287]

I enjoyed that

[@sandrafinbar]

I liked it. Will you make any other films.

[@minimaxi802]

I've been to Maesteg in an Austin Maestro.

[@aleddavies770]

The only part of wales where people have a welsh accent but can’t speak welsh.

[@dunk8157]

Great film. I really like Maesteg, people actually talk to you there, and theres lovely mountains and smell of coal smoke from the houses. I do find it weird everytime I visit and then drive back eastward and I start to get surrounded on the motorway by flash German cars and I know in London its a completely different world.

[@lovinglife6526]

It’s butty and mun, not bud and man, only the welsh know this mun, now in a minute, 😂 I miss Wales, try to get back as much as I can

[@Alexxxxxyz1]

Great video. What made you choose Maesteg to film?

[@bampitony6108]

Nice butt keep it going..Proud to be Welsh..🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@carson2818]

We know the taxi driver

[@kimberleymorris8052]

Yes it is a shit hole!! I’ve lived here since I was born can’t wait to leave

[@gosunkugi]

Absolutely, Kimberly, we can't wait till you leave as well ;)

[@darrenparke67]

Did you leave yet?

[@kevinrichards8119]

Aerial view is of Treorchy and the Bwlch,nothing of maesteg!

[@kushcloud420]

1:41 looks a bit like bargoid forgive me if spelt wrong I'm from Caerphilly don't go there often my aunty and cousins live there lol

[@leeknocker1737]

Anybody know any Enochs from Maesteg or caerau

[@Daibowmorgan]

Steve/Stumpy, you remember me , Dai Morgan, a love rival for a miss Avril Thomas ? .....

[@brokenbritain1930]

What a sad sad place. But at the same time amazing really. From bristol and I’m always fascinated about life else where, London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Wales, amazing places. Idc what anyone else says they are deprived and bad or whatever ppl say about it but they’re the best places in the world

[@tommyhassan3545]

I used to play rugby against maesteg Quins and maesteg Celtic yrs ago fucking headers

[@tiannapryce7008]

Summary- it’s proper shite mait

[@kimberleymorris8052]

As someone who lives there YES yes it is

[@bricktop2785]

Girls are red hot in Maesteg

[@adamturner1563]

BOLLOX.

[@bricktop2785]

@adamturner1563 they've been slammed more times than taxi doors trust me I've done the rounds over there

[@adamturner1563]

🤣🤣! Had my share lol

[@bricktop2785]

@adamturner1563 I've blown a few Missiles over there Lad

[@richardr2716]

Your balls and cock will be red hot too u sleep with the majority of girls from maesteg

[@minamayes1529]

This short is really boring.

[@5freakingkids]

LOVE THIS TOWN❤️

[@96johnboy]

I enjoyed that