A WRITER from Cwmfelinfach has reached the final of the 2014 Wales Drama Award.

Jeremy Davies, 44, is one of four finalists for the award with his submitted script, Back, which tells the story of a soldier, Danny Jones, and his struggle to re-adapt to life in the Valleys after serving in Afghanistan.

From a pool of 170 other Wales-based drama writers, the finalists have been selected by a panel of judges, including celebrated writers Andrew Davies and Lucy Gannon.

A collaboration between BBC Cymru Wales and National Theatre Wales, the award is the first of its kind for writers based in Wales. The winner stands to receive £10,000 and the opportunity to develop their work with BBC Cymru Wales and National Theatre Wales.

Mr Davies, who has written more than 50 episodes for BBC One's Doctors, said that it was an honour to be nominated for the award.

He said: “I’m very pleased to get through, with four strong finalists, and it’s a real honour. Around 20 years ago, this opportunity would have been unheard of. I’m excited and nervous, and it does not feel like I’m competing. Rather, it’s an opportunity to pitch my script and set my stall out.

“In Back, Danny Jones, the protagonist, joined the world to see the army as I like to say and he is left disabled after serving. He also suffers from delusions and post-traumatic stress disorder.

“He feels alone and returns back to where he was in the Valleys. It’s a multiple time scale and only the first bit is set in Afghanistan.

"The Valleys humour informs it and informs his experiences. It’s a dark humour that we use as a coping mechanism for facing life's challenges.”

The winner of the 2014 Wales Drama Award will be announced at a special ceremony at the BBC Roath Lock drama studios in Cardiff on December 15.