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The British Broadcasting Corporation (more commonly known as the BBC), with its headquarters at Broadcasting House, Portland Square, London, was established by Royal Charter in 1927 with the authority to provide information, to educate and to entertain its audience across a wide range of areas including current affairs, arts and culture, education, religion and sport. Its predecessor, the British Broadcast Company, had obtained its licence to broadcast in 1923, and the public broadcast service in Wales began in the same year when a radio station was opened in Cardiff, providing programmes in both English and Welsh. The Welsh region of the BBC received its own wavelength for audio broadcasts in 1937 and its own separate wavelength for televisual broadcasts in 1964, since when it has been known as BBC Wales. Welsh language programmes were first broadcast on the television in 1953 and they have been scheduled every day since 1957; the Welsh language television channel is known as BBC Cymru. The English and Welsh radio stations (Radio Wales and Radio Cymru) have been separate entities since 1977. As a whole, the Welsh region of the BBC - comprising BBC Wales, BBC Cymru, Radio Wales and Radio Cymru - is also known as BBC Cymru Wales.

Jack Jones (1884-1970), author and playwright, was born at Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, the eldest son of David and Sarah Anne. He was educated at St David's elementary school, Merthyr Tydfil. Between 1902 and 1906 he served in the Army in South Africa and India. In 1908 he married his first wife, Laura Grimes Evans (d. 1946), of Builth Wells, Brecknockshire. They had five children. After the First World War he became active in left-wing politics. In 1921 he was sent by the Miners' Federation Lodge, Pontypool, Monmouthshire, to the Conference of the British Communist Party in Manchester, where he was elected temporary corresponding secretary for the South Wales coalfield. In 1923 he was appointed full-time secretary-representative of the miners at Blaengarw, Glamorgan, and later joined the Labour Party. He was forced to resign in 1927 after the publication of his controversial article, 'The Need for a Lib-Lab Coalition'. He moved to Cardiff and became one of Lloyd George's speakers on the Liberal platform, and stood unsuccessfully for Neath in the 1929 general election. He began writing seriously during a period of unemployment. His first novel, 'Saran', was never published, but a reduced version of it appeared as Black Parade (1935). By 1939, he had written the novels Rhondda Roundabout (1934), and Bidden to the Beast (1938), a play, Land of my Fathers (1937), and his first autobiography, Unfinished Journey (1937). The London stage version of Rhondda Roundabout was acclaimed. He wrote the dialogue for the film 'Proud Valley', in which he also had a minor acting role. During the Second World War he was a speaker for the Ministry of Information and the National Savings Movement. He wrote The Man David (1944), a life of David Lloyd George. In the 1945 election he supported Sir James Grigg of the Conservative Party. After the war he wrote two volumes of autobiography, Me and Mine (1946) and Give Me Back My Heart (1950), three novels, Off to Philadelphia in the Morning (1947), Some Trust in Chariots (1948), and River out of Eden (1951), and a play Transatlantic Episode (1947). He was made a CBE in 1948. His later works, Lily of the Valley and Lucky Year (1952), Time and the Business (1953), Choral Symphony (1955) and Come, Night; End, Day (1956) were less well received. In 1954, he married his second wife, Gladys Morgan. He was elected first President of the English section of Yr Academi Gymreig. Until his death in May 1970 he continued writing; these works remained unpublished, including a biographical novel, 'A Burnt Offering', based on the life of Dr William Price (1800-1893), Llantrisant, pioneer of cremation.

Richard Ithamar Aaron (1901-1987), philosopher and academic, was born in Ynystawe, Swansea, Glamorgan, and educated at Ystalyfera Grammar School, Cardiff University College, and Oriel College, Oxford. He was Professor of Philosophy at University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, 1932-1969. He was involved with many organisations: he was chairman of the Central Advisory Council for Education (Wales), 1946-1952, a member of the Council for Wales and Monmouthshire, 1956-1963, a member of the BBC General Advisory Council, 1962-1973, and chairman of the Library Advisory Council (Wales), 1965-1972. He contributed to several periodicals and wrote several books on philsophy, including The Nature of Knowing (London, 1930), Hanes Athroniaeth (Cardiff, 1932), The Theory of Universals (London, 1952) and Knowing and the Function of Reason (Oxford, 1971). He was married to Rhiannon Morgan, of Aberystwyth, and they had two sons and three daughters. He was awarded an Honorary DLitt by the University of Wales, 1973. He died 29 March 1987.