Comedian starts to spell out the big 'Cwtsh' debate

by Robert Lloyd

It’s not every day that Ammanford comedian Phil Evans feels as if he’s on the losing end of a joke.

But he’s spent the last couple of weeks spelling it out to his fans and explaining why he’s now having to see the funny side of Swansea Bay’s City of Culture bid.

The City of Culture bid carries the slogan ‘Cwtch The Bid’.

And in the eyes of Evans, his fans and many students of the Welsh language, the slogan has a glaring spelling mistake – ‘Cwtch’ should be spelt ‘Cwtsh’.

The comic who puts the ‘Cwtsh’ into comedy sparked an internet debate on the use of the word last year.

“I thought that I’d said enough about the correct spelling of ‘cwtsh’ last year, but plainly the boys in the Swansea Bay City of Culture bid are coming back for more!” chuckled Evans.

“It’s a question as big as ‘To be, or not to be? in Wales: should the favourite Welsh word for a hug be a ‘Cwtsh’ or a ‘Cwtch?’ – that is the question.”

Evans, who is often billed as the resident ‘Hug-meister’ of Wales, is convinced the correct spelling of the word is ‘Cwtsh’.

“I am sure there will be plenty of Welsh scholars out there willing to say different, but in my book it should always end in ‘sh’ rather than ‘ch’.

“The explanation is simple. The Welsh CH is like the Scottish CH in loch, the sort of sound you make when you’re clearing your throat and used in words like ‘bach’ (small).

“We had this debate last year when I billed my St Dwynwen’s Day (Welsh Valentine’s Day) gig at the Pontardawe Arts Centre as ‘Comedy and Cwtshes’.

“I’ve always been adamant that the correct version is ‘Cwtsh’, so it has been interesting to follow the debate on social media sites.

“Last year, Huw Irranca-Davies, MP for Ogmore, had his say on the debate.

“I think it would be better if we stopped short of a Parliamentary debate or a Prime Minister’s Question on the matter, but it is very interesting to hear people’s views!

“Personally, I spent quite a lot of time consulting Welsh language scholars and chapel ministers before siding with the ‘Cwtsh’ argument.

The Evans view is backed up by Carwyn Matera-Rogers, who is in charge of the new Ffwrnes theatre in Llanelli.

The theatre now boasts a Bar Caffi Cwtsh.

Mr Matera-Rogers said: “We looked around and discovered coffee shops, bars and shops using Cwtsh with an ‘S’, so that’s the version we used in the theatre. Obviously, people have their preferences and the debate is an interesting one.”

Comedian Evans, who is regularly seen on Welsh language TV, said: “I think I’ll probably have to live with the Swansea Bay team branding it as ‘Cwtch’

“But if we do win the City of Culture bid then I’ll be going all out to stage a ‘Cwtsh’ comedy event as part of the festival.”

The Swansea Bay team behind the bid has been putting out the message that the area is a “resourceful region” with a proud history and a strong cultural tradition.

Swansea Bay – which includes Carmarthenshire, Neath and Port Talbot – is in the final four to win the cultural crown.

When the official logo of the campaign was revealed with the slogan ‘Cwtch The Bid’, Ben Reynolds from the bid team said that people in Swansea Bay were famous for their self-deprecating humour.

“Fair point,” added Evans. “I’m willing to see the funny side of it all for now. But I am on 24-hour stand-by for any ‘Cwtsh’ requests from the Swansea Bay bid team!”

Meanwhile, one of Phil Evans’s biggest fans, Nicci Brayley, has penned a poem on the big ‘Cwtsh’ debate –

And God looked down on Swansea Bay And cried out from the heavens “Some silly person’s spelt that wrong!”

It’s “S” – go ask Phil Evans!”

A mighty clap of thunder

God reached down with his hand

To scribble out the error

That was etched there in the sand

“If you think Cwtsh is spelt like that”

“You need to step aside”

So he clicked his mighty fingers

And quickly turned the tide

The waves came crashing up the beach

To smooth the sandy mess

The tide went out and all was calm

The C was now an S

So Evening Post and all my friends

(and man on beach with rake)

I hope you read this poem

And have spotted your mistake!

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