The Light in the Hall: Welsh Noir Thriller Returns with English-Language Series Two

The Light in the Hall, a Welsh noir thriller produced in both Welsh and English versions, has returned to screens with its second series now airing in English on Channel 4. The series follows Caryl Huws, a butcher's shop employee turned aspiring journalist, as she becomes entangled in a dark conspiracy involving a fatal bombing from three decades earlier. Set in the fictional small town of Llanemlyn in southwest Wales—actually filmed in the market town of Llandovery—the show explores themes of guilt, injustice, and community suspicion in a rural setting where secrets run deep.

The central plot revolves around Rhys, a man convicted in 1995 of killing his cousin during a bombing attempt on a controversial reservoir. Rhys has consistently maintained his innocence, claiming he was framed, yet the community remains hostile toward him, barring him from local establishments and subjecting him to public scorn. As Huws seeks a breakthrough story to launch her journalism career, she discovers that Rhys's release from prison coincides with renewed plans to expand the very reservoir that was the original target of the bombing decades earlier. This convergence of past and present becomes the catalyst for her investigation.

The series taps into the growing popularity of Welsh noir television, joining other acclaimed shows such as Hinterland and Mudtown in exploring the darker aspects of Welsh life and landscape. The production itself represents a remarkable achievement: the entire cast performed their roles twice, first in Welsh for S4C and then in English for Channel 4, maintaining the same atmospheric quality and dramatic intensity in both languages. The show's success lies in its immersion in setting and mood, with the Welsh countryside providing an evocative backdrop for tales of conspiracy and moral ambiguity. The community depicted in the story is fractured over the reservoir expansion, with younger residents willing to engage in civil disobedience while their parents prefer to avoid conflict, adding layers of contemporary tension to the historical mystery.