ANGLESEY school children were among the first to get a sneak preview of a brand new ‘time-travelling’ TV series chronicling the lives of island fisher folk from the 1900s.

Children from the newly opened Ysgol Santes Dwynwen, at Newborough, were given a VIP screening of the first episode of the four-part living history programme The 1900 Island.

The show follows families from Swansea, Cardiff, the Wirral and Kent living as a fishing community from the early 20th century on Llanddwyn island.

The show sees the families come to terms with life without running water and electricity.

There were no indoor toilets, only chamber pots and primitive outdoor toilets, no modern clothes or technology. The families also coped with the extremities of wild weather and limited food.

Seventy children from the school and local residents, watched the first episode and heard from cast member Lydia Power, as well as members of the show’s production team at the Prichard Jones Institute, Newborough on Tuesday.

Lydia was on the island with her three children and husband Gareth, said: “We loved the experience. It's not every day you get the chance to time travel.

"It was a simpler, slower pace of life, but hardwork at times.

“The biggest challenge was keeping the children's bellies full. The daily tasks expected of women were neverending from cooking and cleaning, to making the fire to gathering cockles, all in a heavy traditional Welsh woollen dress called a Betgwn and a corset."

Ysgol Santes Dwynwen deputy headteacher Iwan Jones said: "The children were fascinated by the history, particularly with the toilet arrangements!"

The first episode of the Wildflame Productions show produced by Alexis Girardet, airs at 8pm, tonight (Thursday, May 2) on BBC One Wales.

See feature in next week's North Wales Chronicle.