10.20AM. Tuesday, February 13. ‘Sam, I want this as fast as you can’.
I saw this message come through from my editor and upon clicking the link attached, my face lit up. Finally, after five years, there was ‘reportedly’ an update on the future of BBC comedy giant Gavin & Stacey – a show that means the world to me.
Deadline were reporting that the series, which is penned by Ruth Jones and James Corden, would be returning for a Christmas special this year. As someone that’s very aware that the phrase ‘reportedly’ is by no means a confirmation, I was initially sceptical of the report’s truth.
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While I remain unsure of the article's truth, the sheer scale of coverage that the report has had – including from the BBC themselves – and the confidence and detail of the original story, has seemingly confirmed the news. Gavin & Stacey’s return is often spoken about and it certainly feels like the show’s cast has learned the ‘we don’t know what’s happening’ speech off by heart.
I want to stress that I’m a huge fan of Gavin & Stacey. It’s a show that’s full of heart, warmth, love and family – and the fact that it’s primarily set in Wales, in places I know and love (such as Barry Island or M&S in Culverhouse Cross), has made the show very relatable. Many of us Welshies know a Gwen, an Uncle Bryn and far too many Nessas.
What I’m trying to say is that this show is very important to me. Unlike other programmes in its genre, it has spawned catchphrases that have become part of public consciousness. I know plenty of people who’ll respond, ‘Oh my Christ!’, when I tell them some truly shocking news, or will greet me saying ‘alright’ in true Nessa fashion. And it seems that many people I know share those feelings. When the last episode aired on Christmas Day in 2019, a whopping 18.49m people tuned in to watch.
And it is these strong feelings that make me not want future episodes. I believe the phrase, ‘if it ain’t broke’, is appropriate and I think the whole nation would be deeply disappointed if the legacy of Gavin & Stacey was ever tainted.
I vividly remember the moment co-creator James Corden shared an image of the episode’s script to his X (then Twitter) account and it seems that the whole country was excited… Myself included. Then, filming pictures of the cast in Barry started emerging and the anticipation for the show’s return got bigger and bigger and bigger.
Then, the episode aired and it was, as Nessa would say, alright. I’ve probably rewatched the 2019 Christmas special around three or four times since it aired and while it is very funny and a much higher standard than a lot of other Christmas specials, I can’t help but feel that it’s not at the same level as previous episodes of the show.
During the episode you definitely get a sense of the show’s size. Gone was the small scale BBC comedy that people slowly fell in love with in the noughties and in its place was a gargantuan that everyone had an opinion on. Don’t get me wrong (at the end of the day when all is said and done) I still loved it and it’d more than likely get four and a half stars from me if I were to review but it didn’t live up to my expectations – not that I know exactly what they were.
Chatting to a couple of people after they’d watched, they felt exactly the same. It had reached a point where expectations had become greater than actuality – which, to be honest, was bound to happen.
Where do we go from here? The last few years have been kind to the majority of the show’s stars. James Corden has now reached a point where he is, probably, bigger than the show he co-created – he’s literally been to Hollywood and back, and I fear that will come across in his performance. I’ve got to be honest, I kind of felt that during the last Christmas episode.
As mentioned, the 2019 Christmas special ended with a shock cliffhanger with Nessa proposing to Smithy, the father of her child, at the end of the episode. When this happened I remember being literally open-mouthed and no sooner than Smithy could give his response, the all too familiar end theme music began to play. And that was that.
After a couple of days waiting for the BBC to announce they were planning to make another series, I eventually accepted that Gavin & Stacey had come to an end. The series, which had viewers in stitches since 2007, had finished on a cliffhanger – and I was sort of okay with that. After all, what was originally the final series of the show had ended with viewers wanting more: Stacey pregnant, Nessa and Smithy seemingly starting a relationship etc.
I personally like the idea of Smithy’s answer to Nessa’s proposal remaining a mystery. We’ve all got theories on what his response will be and I feel that either way, someone is going to get let down by the results. Some people think they’re the perfect couple (myself included) and others think they’re a match made in hell.
I’m not vehemently opposed to more episodes of Gavin & Stacey, because like I said, I love it. I am extremely nervous about it, though.
When the show returned for a special in 2019, it felt slightly different. The cast were at different stages of their careers and to some extent that showed. That ‘expectation’ that I mentioned earlier is another thing that worries me.
People have been begging for more Gavin & Stacey since it last aired and considering how the cast are constantly interrogated on whether it’ll be ‘coming back’, I get the sense that there’s a lot of pressure on the show’s creators to eke out more episodes. I fear that sense of pressure will have a negative effect on the comedy as a whole.
Gavin & Stacey’s mundanity is one of the reasons for its success, discussing rough towels and service station preferences is baffling comedy gold. But during the last Christmas special, viewers witnessed the drama of Smithy’s car crash of a relationship with new girlfriend Sonia – and that’s not why we love the show.
Alternatively, I don’t know a single person who actively dislikes it and anything that amasses that level of joy and warmth is a good thing in the world – especially during a time where we probably need it more than ever.
Both James Corden and Ruth Jones have said they wouldn’t make more episodes unless they had a good story to tell. It's now been five years since they worked on it and I strongly feel that they’re secretly sitting on a goldie and I'm desperate to see what they have up their sleeves. I’m worried but not enough to not watch whatever ‘reportedly’ airs this Christmas. Do you want Gavin & Stacey to come back? Let us know in the comments.
Gavin & Stacey is available to watch on BBC iPlayer. For the latest TV & Showbiz news, sign up to our newsletter.
