15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Western Telegraph
Tenby's St Catherine's Island to feature on BBC's Our Lives
BBC One's acclaimed Our Lives returns for its ninth series – showcasing unique and extraordinary stories from the UK with a collection of powerful, personal tales told by the people living them.
The series features six documentaries from Wales, each produced by a different Welsh production company and told in its own unique style.
(Image: BBC/ Pixie) This year's Welsh programmes celebrate the country's colourful communities and characters.
The second episode from Wales takes viewers to the resort of Tenby, where—shrouded in sea mist and memories—lies St Catherine's Island: a Napoleonic tidal fortress with a chequered past.
Once a 19th-century fortification, later a stately home known for its wild parties, and most famously a seaside zoo in the 1970s, the island has been closed to the public for decades. Now, a small band of passionate volunteers are bringing it back to life and inviting the people of Tenby to rediscover it.
(Image: Aaron Clayton) This intimate and moving documentary follows the team as they prepare for an open day that could determine the island's future.
Leading the charge is Andi Jones, a local volunteer whose fierce dedication to the island is rooted in something deeper.
As he unearths forgotten stories and reunites those who once lived or worked on the island, Andi also reveals his own, a personal journey through mental health struggles that the island helped him weather.
(Image: Dai Winn) He oversees the return of a huge naval cannon to its former position, a powerful symbol of restoration and pride.
Joining Andi is Charlie Love, a musician and volunteer who found healing on the island after overcoming addiction.
Her connection to the island's wildlife, especially Meep, a fiercely territorial seagull she befriended as a chick, gives the story a unique and touching twist. Now, as Meep tends to her own eggs, Charlie is recording a song inspired by the island's rebirth.
As open day arrives, hope and history collide, but a violent storm threatens to plunge the event into darkness.
(Image: Mark Antony)
When the generator fails and the old fort loses power, Andi's months of hard work hang in the balance.
A story of memory, resilience, and belonging, Tenby's Forgotten Island is more than a celebration of a historic landmark, it's a tribute to the people fighting to preserve it, and the lives it's helped rebuild.
Our Tenby Island, produced by Pixie, airs this evening, July 15 at 7pm on BBC One Wales and iPlayer.
St Catherine's Island is open in the summer months. Opening times are variable. For up to date information, check the St Catherine's Island Facebook page.
