In celebration of their 60th anniversary, national broadcast Television Malta is sharing various clips from a selection of programmes they have aired throughout the decades.

 One of such shows is none other than ‘F’Bahar Wiehed’ – a beloved Maltese drama which aired on TVM in 1976, back when it was still known as ‘Xandir Malta’.

The programme is synonymous with the iconic performances of Gemma Portelli and Lino Grech, who played Goma and Pinu, a married couple.

The clip shared by TVM shows a selection of different scenes from the series, one of which highlights actors Alfred Mallia and Jane Marshall.

Another clip of ‘F’Bahar Wiehed’ published by ‘Malta Audio Visual Memories’ shows Pinu and Goma arguing as the latter prepares to leave for a trip. The scene perfectly encapsulates the two characters’ on-screen relationship.

The show became so popular not only thanks to its quality production value, but because it perfectly represented Maltese family life. Amongst other things, ‘F’Bahar Wiehed’ dealt with themes of class and the struggles that came with it.

In 2002, the show was re-made with Gemma Portelli and Lino Grech reprising their roles. This time round, ‘F’Bahar Wiehed’ was shot in colour and was, once again, met with roaring success.

Lino Farrugia, the director of the show, was once interviewed by Malta Audio Visual memories wherein he explained that a lot of the scenes where not scripted but improvised.

One of such scenes depicts Goma being late for her daughter’s wedding, hence why she decides to hitchhike her way there aboard a vendor van.

This was done after Gemma Portelli was late to set. Instead of delaying production, the crew decided to improvise.

“Obviously, this was all new for me as I used to do a lot of radio […] but after I talked with Lino Grech about producing his series for TV, he was ecstatic about the news”, Lino Farrugia said during the interview.

He then went on to praise to Lino Grech for his simplistic yet incredible writing.

Do you remember watching ‘F’Bahar Wiehed’?

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