Long-awaited reunion of lovebirds Gavin and Stacey is ‘well lush’
long-awaited reunion of lovebirds Gavin Shipman (Matthew Horne) and Stacey West (Joanna Page) was arguably the most anticipated television show in recent history.
The first three series, which aired from 2007 to 2010, have become a part of our culture, the jokes and catchphrases ingrained in our language – who among us hasn’t described something as “tidy” or “well lush”? – and Gavin and Stacey is firmly cemented in the sitcom hall of fame. What luck, then, to be delivered a Christmas special as hilarious, irreverent and heartwarming as the original. New audiences will have fallen for Gavin, Stacey, Smithy (James Corden) and Nessa (Ruth Jones) during this one-off episode but it was undoubtedly written with diehard fans in mind.
From a not-so-little Neil The
Baby, played by Oscar Hartland, the same boy who played Neil as an actual baby, to Pam’s (Alison Steadman) repeated exclamations of “Oh my Christ”, there were nods, never forced or trite, to the good old days in every scene.
The show saw the Essex clan travel to the Welsh town of Barry for a Christmas feast cooked by Rob Brydon’s endearing but hapless Uncle Bryn.
There were plenty of mishaps. Pam forgot the Christmas
puddings (twice) and Bryn woke up too late after one too many Archers and lemonades to blanch the carrots, while the whole family had to be enthusiastic about receiving taps as a gift from Nessa and Neil the Baby.
But rather than presenting a collectionofunconnectedoneliners, this episode returned to the story lines that made it a hit in the first place. It wasn’t all nostalgic, though. Sonia (Laura Aikman), Smithy’s girlthe friend of almost a year, joined the show, along with Gavin and Stacey’s children (brilliantly named Harry, Megan and Caitlin as a nod to their Grandma Pam’s love of the Royal Family).
It was a bold move to introduce a fresh face into such a familiar group, especially one who called out the nostalgia aspect as ridiculous. So bravo to writers Corden and Jones. Now, what’s occurin’ with series four?