Martyn Huw Williams (born 1947) was born in Wales and has worked in the communications and public relations industries. He is an experienced journalist, author, sports commentator, radio broadcaster, television presenter, television and radio producer. He has consulted for several institutions and charities, and interviewed numerous public figures and sportspeople as a broadcaster.
Martyn Williams was born in Bancffosfelen in Pontyberem community, Carmarthenshire, to the Reverend Cyril G. Williams and Irene (née Daniels).[1] The family moved to Acton, London when Williams was aged 3 where his father was minister at Radnor Walk Congregationalist Church, Chelsea.[citation needed]
Returning to Cardiff, Williams attended Cathays High School[citation needed] then won a scholarship to Atlantic College, based at St Donat’s Castle in south Wales.[2] He won the John Strawbridge Scholarship[3] to attend Trinity College (Connecticut),[4] graduating with a BA degree in English and Philosophy.[citation needed] Whilst at Hartford Williams founded the school’s rugby team, which is still playing today, and sang with a folk group “The Trinidads Of Trinity College” who recorded an LP, including Williams singing Danny Boy in Welsh.[5]
Broadcasting career
Williams joined HTV as a news reporter and presenter including presenting the Welsh League Of Youth Eisteddfod (Urdd National Eisteddfod) in 1972 [6] and the nightly news programme “Report Wales”[7] then briefly joining Swansea Sound as a News Editor in 1974[7] before moving to the radio news department at BBC Wales. Having been the BBC Northern Ireland correspondent when the BBC introduced early morning television news programmes, Williams was the first choice for the BBC Wales opt-outs.[citation needed]
Attracting the highest broadcasting figures for a local radio network, Williams introduced the weekly nightly programme “4,5,6” for two hours of news and sport between 1984 and 1986.[8] Williams also worked as a television journalist for BBC Wales on the current affairs strand Wales Today including a special item on Llywelyn The Great on 22 May 1978.[9]
In addition to his work as a journalist he covered the National Eisteddfod, including the Chairing of the Bard in 1988,[10][11][12][13] and presented light entertainment programmes such as the series Celtic Road[10][14][15] and documentary programmes such as Secret Of The Machines[16] about Ray Prosser and Pontypool RFC and Atlantic College, a Delta 4 Production for BBC Wales, where he returned to his former college to look back at the history of its 25 years.[17][18] In Welsh for S4C he presented documentary programmes on the Ice Age and the Druids - Dyddiau Dyn: Oes Yr Ia[19] and Dyddiau Dyn: Derwyddon[20][21] and wrote his own comedy programme Theatr Ysgafn Yn Cyflwyno: Bois Y Bledren[22][23]about the trials and tribulations of a rugby club and its committee, and Dwylo Dros Y Mor (about Atlantic College).[24]< [25]
Sports broadcasting
In the 1980s Williams started commentating on sports events such as athletics[26] and rugby for radio, including internationals.[27] Moving to television he covered club and international rugby matches for BBC Network, where he worked on the BBC series Grandstand & Rugby Special,[10][28][29] and BBC Wales where he worked on the weekly rugby programmes Weekend Rugby Union, Rugby Special Wales and Sportfolio, most frequently with Phil Bennett as the second voice.[30] He commentated on the 1987 Rugby World Cup for the BBC[10][31] and the 1991 Rugby World Cup for Sianel Pedwar Cymru (S4C) with Gareth Edwards.[32]
In addition to these series he made programmes for Radio 4 - On The Town,[10]Victorious Lions[10] and Welsh Arts Week,[10] and continued to make one-off programmes for Radio Wales A Plague On Anglo Saxons (on the National Eisteddfod),[41][42]Atlantic Ideal,[43][44]Crown, Chair & Cob (a review of the 1987 National Eisteddfod),[45][46] and On The Town: Portrait Of A City: Cardiff.[10]
Freelance
In 1989 Williams joined freelance production company Delta 4/Delta Cyf. and co-founded the production facilities company Derwen, situated in Plas Dinefwr, Llandeilo, West Wales.[47] Together with his partner, Lesley, he started a freelance production company Rugby Vision[48][49] which produced all genre television programmes. Programmes included Cymro Cryfa (Strongest Man) for S4C from 1991 to 1995; these took place at the Royal Welsh Show. [50][51][52]
Rugby Vision also produced three programmes for the BBC Fighting Class series - Peerless Jim: Jim Driscoll,[58]Tylerstown Terror: Jimmy Wilde,[59] and Welsh Wizard: Freddie Welsh.[60] Programmes of different genres were produced for S4C by Rugby Vision, amongst which was Cracabant,[61][62] a morning children’s series on which Rupert Moon worked as a researcher[63] and as production company Cyffro programmes for S4C included, amongst others, a series of eight programmes on a day in the life of a vet Galw’r Fet[64][65] and Cwist, a sports quiz.[66][67]
Coverage of two Welsh Rugby Tours were produced by Rugby Vision/Delta. The Wales B tour of Canada 1987 was produced for S4C Rygbi: Cymru Yng Nghanada: Taith Cymru B, for which Williams provided the commentary, and HTV[68] and the 1990 tour of Namibia was produced for S4C, the first rugby tour to that country.[54][69] To coincide with the opening of the new Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Rugby Vision were commissioned by S4C to produce three programmes: the first on International Rugby Board (IRB) chairman, Vernon Pugh;[70][71][72] the second Ymlaen I Gymru charted the World Cup’s journey to Wales[73][71] and the third Symyd Y Pyst followed the story of the demolition and re-building of the Millennium Stadium.[74][71]
Rugby Vision produced two videos on Llanelli RFC for BBC Wales: Llanelli RFC: The Official History, narrated by Phil Bennett [75] and Scarlet Fever: A Triple Dose 1992-93. [76]
Welsh Rugby Union
Williams worked with the Welsh Rugby Union to introduce Dragon Rugby into Wales [77][78][79]producing two training videos for the WRU, Dragon Rugby[citation needed] and Capture the Magic,[80] a monthly magazine, Dragon Rugby[81] and the Christmas Dragon Rugby Annual which was endorsed by the late Diana, Princess of Wales.[82][83] Scott Gibbs, the former Welsh Rugby international, joined Rugby Vision to work on the Cymro Cryfa series in 1991 and Dragon Rugby project.[84][85][86]
Other commentating
Williams continued to commentate on various events for S4C including golf: Golff: Pencampwriaeth Agored Portwgal 1987 (Portuguese Open Golf),[87][88]Golff: Pencampwriaeth Agored Prydeinig yn Turnberry 1988 (Senior British Open Championship)[89][90]and rugby - Rygbi: America v Cymru in 1997,[91]and Hen Stagers 1991 (Annual Rugby Union Reunion In Bermuda).[92][93]
AllWales Sport, Porthcawl Jan 2011 - Jan 2012, based in Porthcawl.[citation needed]
Founder of the Welsh Equine Council, and, as Chairman, organised the Inaugural Welsh Festival of the Horse, Margam Park, 2008.[100]
Producer, Promoter of the 2003 USA tour of the Dylan ThomasDylan, The Return Journey, featuring Bob Kingdom, developed by Kingdom and Anthony Hopkins, the show’s original director, timed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of Thomas in New York.[101]
Voluntary
Williams was chair of the Llandaff Fields Community and Sports Trust Development from August 2011 to July 2014. The Trust, in conjunction with Cardiff City Council, hoped to upgrade the facilities and fields for a number of sports clubs and organisations.[102][103][104]
He is the founder of Clwb Rygbi Cymru Caerdydd,[citation needed] a largely Welsh speaking rugby team in Cardiff which, as of 2025, plays in the WRU Admiral National East Central League 2. Williams became senior coach.[105]
In 1998 the National Trust were tasked with raising money to buy Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and Williams conceived the idea of a National Run for Snowdon. Enlisting the help of Welsh marathon runner Steve Brace and the students at University Of Wales Institute - UWIC (now Cardiff Metropolitan University), teams of runners started in Pontypool and traversed the entire country raising awareness and funds of the National Trust campaign. Informally the Run for Snowdon was said to have raised £400,000 towards the successful purchase of Yr Wyddfa.[106][107][108]
↑ Radio Times (Wales Edition) 31 October 1981, 23 January 1983, 4 February 1984 (Ireland v Wales), and Wales B v Australia (on Sportstime), 31 October 1981
↑ Radio Times (Wales Edition) incl. Wales v Ireland 4 April 1987, Wales v USA 7 November 1987, England v Wales 6 February 1988, Wales v Romania 10 December 1988, France v Wales 18 February 1989 (ex. Grandstand), Wales v England 18 March 1989 (ex. Grandstand)
↑ "The Redcoat". South Wales Echo. 19 April 1986. p.20. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
↑ Radio Times (Wales Edition) Weekend Rugby Union 20 April 1986, Rugby Special Wales 26 October 1986, 12 April 1987, 13 December 1987, 3 January 1988, 9 January 1988, Sportfolio Wales Youth v France Youth 11 March 1989
↑ Radio Times (Wales Edition) 3 June 1987, 18 June 1987
↑ Radio Times (Wales Edition) incl. 5 October 1991, 6 October 1991, 30 October 1991, 2 November 1991
↑ Radio Times (Wales Edition) 15/8/82, 22/8/82, 29/8/82, 5/9/82, 19/9/82, 26/9/82 & 3/10/82
↑ Radio Times (Wales Edition): Gareth Edwards 31/3/89, Gareth Davies 7/4/89, Barry John 14/4/89, Elgan Rees 21/4/89, Ray Gravel 28/4/89, Hugo Porta 5/5/89, Clive Rowlands 19/5/89, Jonathan Davies 15/1/91
↑ Radio Times (Wales Edition) Mike Burton 2/6/89, Fergus Slattery 16/6/89, Mark Ella 23/6/89, Andy Irvine 30/6/89, Hugo Porta 7/7/89, Graham Mouire 9/7/89, Jean Pierre Rives 14/7/89, Phil Bennett 28/7/89
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