Former first minister of Wales Mark Drakeford had “no interest” in a career in politics when he was younger.

That’s one of the revelations in the new series of Cyfrinachau’r Llyfrgell as the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth opens its doors to some of the country’s biggest stars.

The programme’s return on S4C on 16 September (9pm) shows four of Wales’ best-known personalities discovering treasures from the library.

Alongside Mr Drakeford, actress Dame Siân Phillips, former rugby union player Scott Quinnell, and author Caryl Lewis will reveal remarkable stories from Welsh history.

In the first episode Mr Drakeford adds some of his own documents to the archive.

Among the treasures are David Lloyd George’s initial notes for the People’s Budget, Llandrindod Wells’ bid to be named Wales’ capital city and Mark Drakeford’s official portrait.

The fact that some of his own documents will now be part of the collection is a matter of great pride for Mr Drakeford.

“I’ve been so lucky to have these experiences and to give something back to other people, people who want to understand how it was at the time,” he said.

But things could have taken a different turn had Mr Drakeford listened to his 10-year-old self.

“I had no interest in being a politician. I say that now because it’s true, it’s a matter of chance that I’ve done the job that I’ve done,” he added.

“The work I enjoyed most was when I worked with Rhodri Morgan. I was behind the scenes. I had no plans to do the same thing.

“I just thought and thought, and in the end I thought, I’d better try, I don’t want to look back and think ‘What if’. And here I am, I’ve been here since 2011.

“When I was growing up, I remember thinking who I wanted to be, when I was 10 years old. I’m going to open the batting for Glamorgan, that’s what I wanted to do.”

Presenter Dot Davies returns to guide viewers through the collections, with Dr Maredudd ap Huw, the library’s Curator of Manuscripts, providing context and depth to each discovery.

Rhodri Llwyd Morgan, Chief Executive of the National Library of Wales, said:

“We are delighted to see Cyfrinachau’r Llyfrgell return to our screens, thanks to our creative collaboration with Slam and S4C. The response to the first series has been incredible, with a number of people saying they had made a point of visiting the library having watched the first series.

“It was an honour to welcome once again our country’s most distinguished people to discover their stories through the national collection. It’s a wonderful way for us to show that there’s something for everyone in the library, and to share more of Wales’s stories.”

Executive Producer Geraint Rhys Lewis added: “We are grateful to S4C for placing their trust in the series and to the National Library of Wales for their unwavering collaboration as we realise our vision of presenting our history in an engaging way and creating a buzz around our National Library.”