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We caught up with our former Welsh Voices Leila Navabi and Sion Edwards to hear about working together on a brand new comedy, which goes out this evening on 麻豆约拍 One Wales and 麻豆约拍 iPlayer.

Watch Vandullz on 麻豆约拍 iPlayer

How did you find writing as a partnership? Was it something you had ever thought you would do before?

Leila: Genuinely so lovely. I think there's been a really strange push for atomised working in the recent past. Perhaps the 'Phoebe Waller-Bridge' effect? The idea that there's more value in art if it's someone's sole creation. I just disagree so hard. Collaboration and connection is absolutely the only way to tell stories that authentically ring true in our society.

Sion: I enjoyed it immensely. It was great! It helped writing with Leila, who's not just a great writer, comedian and performer, but she's also a great person as well, who I now consider a great mate of mine.

Writing can be very lonely as you are away from people for long periods. What was great with this was a chance to have someone else's company whilst writing, but also somebody to bounce ideas with, discuss ideas and characters with, to ask questions about characters and the story to, and to receive questions back in return about any of my suggestions about the characters and story. It was great to be creative with someone else whilst writing and working things through as we went along.

I had thought of writing with others before, and I've chatted with friends about sitcom ideas etc in the past, but actually writing a script with someone else - I've never done that. Now having written with someone else, I'd be eager to do it again - and most definitely with Leila.

What were the logistics of writing as a team – did you always write together or did you edit each other’s work?

Leila: So we absolutely had a moment at the start when we were like 'Cool. How on earth do we do this?' But we just chatted and laughed and found we had musical interest in common and ended up writing together the whole way through. Just us on Zoom, taking it in turn to type so our hands didn't ache.

Sion: Since I was in North Wales and Leila was in London, we just wrote over Google Hangouts and Zoom. So, we had a virtual writer's room together. At the start it was very much 'How do we do this?', but since neither of us had previous experience writing with someone else, this helped. It allowed for us both to approach it, with both of us, in the same position. We did it our way, rather than someone using a previous way of writing with someone else.

We laughed and chatted for hours, and we made a WhatsApp group, and during the day we'd be messaging each other or leaving voice messages with ideas and suggestions. We still do that now! And we also even wrote at Green Man Festival. The first time we met in person was at Green Man Festival, a few months after we started writing together and meeting to write over Hangouts and Zoom.

How has working together changed the way you approach scripts? Did it enable you to take more risks for example?

Leila: I think it allowed us both to focus on the funny. We spend most of our sessions just trying to make each-other laugh. It made the prospect of broadcast less scary because you're not trying to please the masses, just one person who you respect.

Sion: It’s made me consider things more, having that person opposite ask questions or come up with suggestions. I've always been open to questions and suggestions, but now even more so.

It helped that neither of us were precious about our ideas which meant we were constantly talking about what we were writing, this meant 'VanDullz' was a real joint writing effort and a sitcom which came from both of us. Back at the start of the year, we didn't know each other, but now Leila is one of my great mates. And we've written this together, a sitcom that's come from us both. That makes me proud.

Any stand out moments?

Leila: We just spent the whole time cackling, quite frankly. We were like naughty school children, seeing how cheeky we could get away with being in our writing. But you'll see that in the show, I reckon. Also once we got on location, seeing and sitting inside the Van (which is called Heledd and is played our dear friend, the incredible Kiri Pritchard-McLean). The art department made it look exactly what it was like in our head. That was cool.

Sion: The whole experience was great, working with Henry Widdecombe and his production company - , who were amazing and so supportive of our idea was awesome. The crew were all superb. The cast were all superb and really got under the skins of their characters. Carys Lewis, our director, was superb. And of course, writing with Leila was so fun and exciting!

During the filming, I stayed on the peripherals, wanting to give our DOP (Rik Burnell - who was great) and Carys and the crew the space they needed to work. I didn't want to be in the way. When it came to the filming, at that point the script was written so it was a case of handing it over and trusting that everyone will take it further and bring it to life. Which they totally did! I just stayed on the peripherals, watching from a safe distance. I was keen to see how it looked, but also wanted to be completely respectful of Carys, Rik and the crew and their creative working process.

There was a moment, early on a Saturday morning (the 3rd morning of early starts!) when we were filming down Aberystwyth sea front, the sky was a light blue, and it was just stunning. I decided to walk up a bit to the set and got a quick glimpse of how it looked and it was that moment I thought - 'Yep!'. It was exactly how Leila and I had pictured 'VanDullz' looking. We always wanted this to be about Wales, but the Wales between the picture perfect postcard Wales. Away from the well-known sights. That's where these characters exist, they live away from the picture perfect postcard Wales. They're in their own world. Their own bubble. I hope people like it and want to spend more time with the 'VanDullz' in the future.

Watch Vandullz on 麻豆约拍 iPlayer

Watch more shows in the Festival of Funny on 麻豆约拍 iPlayer