Among the several programmes devoted to the fiftieth anniversary of the Aberfan disaster, BBC Wales came up with the most original and most Welsh. Aberfan: The Green Hollow (23 October) was built around a poem by the prolific Owen Sheers.

It told the familiar story in three acts, devoted to the children, rescuers and survivors. In each case, a fine cast of Welsh actors, including familiar faces such as Michael Sheen and Siân Phillips, embodied fictional characters built on research into real people. There was no commentary, just voices. Sometimes we saw the real people who inspired the fiction, but mostly not. It was an extremely effective device.

We saw the children preparing to attend Pantglas Junior School (pantglas means “green hollow” in Welsh) on the fateful morning, and learned lots about the slag heap above their school. Children played on it, but local people had been complaining about its dangers for years.