Tourist Trap is a Welsh TV mockumentary-style comedy series following the fictional tourist board WOW Wales. Sally Phillips heads the cast as the director of the organization. The show was first broadcast on BBC One Wales in 2018 as part of the channel's Festival Of Funny.
Production
Tourist Trap shares a production company (The Comedy Unit), executive producer (Rab Christie) and some members of its production team with the stylistically similar shows Scot Squad and Soft Border Patrol, which are broadcast on BBC Scotland and BBC Northern Ireland respectively. All three are semi-improvised sketch-shows, filmed in a mockumentary style and initially comprised stand-alone scenes set within the individual departments of the fictional organizations they follow. However in the Six Nations special and series 2 of Tourist Trap, the show began to deviate from this template as episodes would sometimes incorporate a narrative and the show also saw members of individual departments appear in other team's scenes.
The show reflects contemporary Welsh events including the rugby team's performance, the appearance of a new Banksy artwork in Port Talbot and the increased popularity in DNA tourism.
In June 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a single radio edition of the show was broadcast on BBC Radio Wales. Using the same format as the television show, The Stay At Home Radio Special dealt with the characters having to work from home and interact via telephone and Zoom as the organization changed its message and asked tourists to not visit Wales during lockdown.
Cast
Sally Phillips - Elaine Gibbons
Elis James - Nez
Mike Bubbins - Wyn
Mali Ann Rees - Kara
Mari Beard - Charlotte
Leroy Brito - Rob
Tom Price - Jon
Remy Beasley - Hari (Series 1) Eleri Morgan - Gwen (Series 2) Lloyd Everitt - Iestyn (Series 2) Sara Gregory - Amy Tudur Owen - Gwilym Sion Pritchard - Mark Sarah Breese - Kath Richard Elis - Marshall Gareth Gwynn - Radio DJ (Voice) Jenna Preece - Rachel Sian Harries - Meinir