WHAT’S OCCURRING?
Kate and Wills have a ball in Gavin and Stacey’s backyard
TRUTH be told, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had a tidy time, they did, when they went to Barry Island.
And while William admitted he has never actually seen the hit BBC comedy Gavin and Stacey, set in the South Wales seaside resort and famed for its catchphrases, there was no getting away from the show.
First up there was a visit to the Island Leisure amusement arcade, the setting for ‘Nessa’s slots’, where Ruth Jones’s character worked in the popular sitcom.
William and Kate didn’t hesitate to get stuck in as part of their message to help get the staycation industry back on its feet. The couple roared with laughter as they hurled balls at the ‘Down the Clown’ coconut shy-style game after paying £1 a go. After the bell rang for time up, William said: ‘Not bad’. They also couldn’t resist trying a go on a £1 claw grab machine – though with little success.
The royal couple found the chair used by Nessa in the show, which is surrounded by Gavin and Stacey merchandise – adorned with catchphrases from the show such as ‘What’s occurring?’,
‘ Tidy’ and ‘Lush’. They praised arcade owners, Hilary and Andrew Phillips, who reopened for the first time since lockdown yesterday.
Mr Phillips, 59, said: ‘We talked about … how important it is to be back open, both for us as a business and for people to come and have a fun holiday.’ Kate and William – who weren’t wearing masks in line with local regulations, according to Kensington Palace – did not go home emptyhanded. Mrs Phillips, 57, said: ‘We gave them some stuffed toys for their three children.’
Crowds lined up to greet the
couple as they walked along the promenade to Marco’s Cafe, which also features in the show. There, William admitted that he had never seen Gavin and Stacey despite knowing its star, James Corden.
Afterwards cafe owner Marco Zeraschi, 62, said: ‘I told them we have James Corden as prince and Ruth Jones as princess of Barry Island but said I have changed my mind. They were very charming.’
Later the royal couple visited Shire Hall Care Home in Cardiff, three months after speaking to staff and residents via videolink and calling out the numbers for their weekly bingo session.