Dylan Thomas-Smith was one of the breakout stars from the first series of G’wed. The talented actor was cheekiness personified in his role as Reece, the mischievous ringleader of a group of Year 11 students navigating through life in Merseyside.
The ITV comedy was a word of mouth success as it was described as a “classic in the making” by revered Doctor Who showrunner, Russell T. Davies. It wasn’t just a critical triumph as G’wed quickly built up a large fanbase and broke records as the most streamed comedy on ITVX when it was watched over 7.2m times.
Dylan’s energetic performance, filled with heart and humour, was one of the key reasons for the show’s success – and the 20-year-old said he could have never anticipated the way G’wed snowballed into such a smash hit. He told the ECHO in an exclusive interview: “It was a bit mad because, to be honest with you, I wasn’t expecting it.
“Like everyone, I was a bit nervous at first. When it came out and I saw it started doing ok, I was like, ‘Is right.’ Obviously, it started getting bigger and bigger and I was like, ‘Wow, we’ve made a good show here’.”
Dylan, who hails from Prenton, explained he knew the show was gaining momentum when he started to be recognised by fans in the street. He said: “All the cast went out together to town and loads of people ran up to us and asked for a picture. We all just looked at eachother and said, ‘I think this is getting big y’know’. That’s when it started clicking.”
The incredible reaction to G’wed has prompted ITV to renew the show for another two series. The second series gets underway on ITVX and ITV2 on Thursday, February 6 – and Dylan explained how the latest instalment delves deeper into his onscreen counterpart’s personality.
He said: “In the first one, Reece was the cheeky chap who would flirt with all the girls, but in this one I think you see a different side to him. I can’t wait for everyone to see it and hopefully they all enjoy it like they did with the first series.”
G’wed represents Dylan’s first major role and he can vividly recall the day the course of his life changed forever when he was offered the part. The actor had been through a long audition process and was coming to terms with the idea he might not have bagged the role when he received a call from G’wed writer, Danny Kenny.
However, Dylan laughed as he revealed he initially thought the call was from his mate, Anthony, who he’d agreed to join online on the PlayStation later that day. He said: “My phone rang and I was in the shower.
“I had all shampoo in my eye. I answered the phone and I said, ‘Lad, I’ll be on in about 10 minutes.’ And then I heard Danny, who was like, ‘How would you like to be the main character in G’wed?”
Dylan branded the day the “best of his life so far” as he was overcome with emotion after the call. He added: “I’ll never forget it. I whacked the towel around me, I ran straight downstairs, went to me ma and said, ‘mum, I’ve got the job.’ I was buzzing my little socks off and my mum started crying. She was buzzing too.”
Dylan is part of a large Merseyside ensemble in G’wed and the show deserves praise for the way it has provided a platform for youngsters from our region to show what they’re truly capable of. Dylan has more than seized his opportunity as he won Best Breakthrough Performance at the Edinburgh TV Awards in August and he is excited for what the future holds as he takes his first steps in what promises to be a successful career in showbiz.
However, it’s about more than just the awards for Dylan as he said what has been truly special about G’wed is how he has been able to have a positive impact on the next generation and show there is a place for authentic Merseyside accents on national television.
He said: “It’s special. What I love about it is there are a lot of little kids who come up to me and tell me they want to get into acting. Kids can go down wrong paths and it’s good to show them that just because you’re from a certain place, it doesn’t mean you can’t do what you want to do.