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In reply to Mr Wyn Roberts' article 'Television in Wales' SIR: I was very interested to find on reading Mr Wyn Roberts' article 'Television in Wales' (WALES: Sep- tember issue) that he regards Tele- vision as an art-form. It is only right that a man in his position should do so and I am sorry that his sentiments are not more apparent in Television generally. I hope you will allow me to offer some of my thoughts on Television in answer to Mr Roberts. The only authority I have to support my opinions is that as a Television actor, trained in the live theatre, I am vitally interested in the present state of Television and in its future, especially in Wales. In opening Mr Roberts states if the end is desirable enough we do not have to worry about the means-the means will reveal itself automatically'. While this may be true in some other spheres I do not think it can apply in Television. Without the means we cannot make the end product apparent to the mass of viewers; anyway it seems a pretty negative way of getting what one wants, especially as the majority of viewers seem content with a number of second-rate programmes they are at present receiving. How are we to persuade them that Television can be better unless we show it to them? And to do this we must have the means: a Welsh Television Service, run in Wales by Welshmen, designed to give the people the Art of Television at its best. We cannot rely on the mass audience Mr Roberts talks of to Correspondence help Television, for is it not up to Television to help the mass audience? It is useless waiting for them to say 'We want Art', for they never will. It is up to us to creep up on them with it, for if they once hear a whisper of 'Art' on their Television screens they will im- mediately stampede onto the next channel in search ofWyat Earp. I ask, which programme would it be more desirable for the people of this country to view: The Taming of the Shrew or Wagon Train? Can Mr Roberts see his 'mass audience' being critical and discerning enough to switch over from Wagon Train to Shakespeare? I can't! I believe the aid of the switch rather than encouraging an audience to be discerning in their choice of pro- gramme makes them lazy. For why should they sit and attempt to think about something when, simply by reaching out, they can wallow in entertainment which requires no effort whatsoever? How then can we raise the standard of Television in the face of this terrific opposition? It would be worse than useless to suddenly offer anything which could be considered Art to an audience which has been bred on Wagon Train. In the first instance we must introduce Art into Wagon Train and this is where I believe we in Wales have a unique opportunity. Before one can hope to guide an audience in any given direction it must be of manageable size and it must remain static long enough for control to be gained over it. The