Can this man find a link to any Welsh person in 60 seconds?

It is the astir earthy happening successful the satellite to look for communal crushed with idiosyncratic you person conscionable met.

But each week, BBC presenter and comedian Elis James goes 1 measurement further by investigating the stereotype that radical from Wales, a state of much than 3 cardinal people, someway each cognize each other.

The Cymru Connection, wherever James has 60 seconds to find a communal connection, began successful earnest erstwhile a Welshman surviving successful Japan called James' Radio 5 Live amusement and podcast past year.

"I discovered [the caller] was from Aberystwyth," said James. "Within 20 seconds I derailed the telephone and I named astir 20 radical from Aberystwyth and helium knew astir 18 of them.

"We thought 'there mightiness beryllium a diagnostic successful this'."

The hurried and tense one-minute exchanges person had hundreds of thousands of views crossed TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, with listeners from extracurricular Wales often amused - if somewhat baffled.

"This is genuinely a superpower," said 1 idiosyncratic successful the societal media comments.

"Nah, conscionable genuinely Welsh," replied another.

So acold 30 callers person enactment James to the test, with his occurrence complaint hovering conscionable northbound of 50%.

James, from Carmarthenshire, believes it is instinctive for radical from Wales to effort to find a communal connection.

"I've ne'er been connected vacation without bumping into a Welsh idiosyncratic and past aft astir fractional a infinitesimal you're like, 'well bash you cognize so-and-so if you're from Merthyr?' and they ever do."

Together with his co-host, comedian John Robins, James said the diagnostic "clearly has resonated with our Welsh listeners".

The tendency to link is not a improvement exclusive to the Welsh.

"I find that radical from the northbound of England bash it and surely the Irish and the Scots bash it," said James.

"In the south-east of England I deliberation there's excessively galore people, excessively galore places."

James believes the impulse to link is peculiarly applicable to radical from smaller countries.

"I was doing stand-up successful Brussels and determination was a feline successful the beforehand enactment who'd been taught by my auntie and uncle," helium said.

"All the Americans thought it was a acceptable up and each the radical from smaller countries were similar 'no, no, that makes sense'.

"I [also] did stand-up successful Auckland successful New Zealand. On the archetypal night, I'd lone been successful the state a mates of days, determination was a miss from Lampeter and she knew my auntie's farm."

It is 1 happening to find these links organically, but nether clip unit it becomes harder.

As The Cymru Connection taxable euphony kicks successful each week, James is often seen putting his caput successful his hands.

"I find it immensely stressful," helium said.

"It pays disconnected due to the fact that arsenic agelong arsenic I Cymru Connect I'm floating connected aerial for hours. If I neglect I'm incredibly depressed for astir a day.

"Often if I'm wearing a jumper oregon a overgarment I've got to instrumentality it disconnected due to the fact that I commencement to sweat. So the caput successful hands, that's genuine, it's very, precise authentic, I'm not putting it connected for effect.

"I ever commencement with wherever radical grew up and wherever they went to school, and however aged they are.

"The stats person proven it doesn't ever work. But that's wherever I begin."

James and Robins person worked unneurotic for much than a decennary - firstly connected XFM and present for the BBC - but person been friends for overmuch longer.

"It's rather an absorbing happening to observe due to the fact that it's evidently a precise earthy enactment for Welsh people," said Robins, from Bristol.

"I ticker Elis connecting reasoning 'is this truly happening each week?' and it is. It's connected nationalist radio."

But wherefore is it happening?

Dr Martin Graff, a scientist astatine the University of South Wales, believes "we each privation to conscionable radical who person a grade of familiarity to ourselves".

"In Wales there's 3 cardinal of america – we're a reasonably exclusive club. Therefore erstwhile we conscionable idiosyncratic Welsh it's benignant of thrilling.

"From an evolutionary angle, gathering idiosyncratic who is acquainted makes them much predictable.

"If people's behaviour is much predictable we consciousness safer successful their company."

Born and bred successful Bridgend, I couldn't decorativeness my interrogation without putting James to the trial - could helium find a Cymru Connection with me?

Robins, who acts arsenic adjudicator, declared successful beforehand that communal BBC colleagues did not count.

Despite that, aft astir 45 seconds, James managed to sanction idiosyncratic helium knew who was successful the twelvemonth supra maine astatine school.

Job done - our precise ain Cymru Connection.