Tidy! Neil the Baby back aged 10 in festive special
MEET the very lucky boy who played Neil the Baby in the hotly anticipated Gavin & Stacey Christmas Special.
Oscar Hartland first took on the role of Nessa and Smithy’s son in the third series of the hit BBC show which aired in 2009, but being less than a year old at the time, he doesn’t remember a single moment of it. Fortunately, the 10-year-old was offered the part for a second time after impressing producers at an audition earlier this year.
Music- and drama-obsessed Oscar, who lives in Machen, Caerphilly, with his mother and 12-yearold brother, Lewi, said he jumped at the chance to reunite with his onscreen parents for last night’s hourlong special.
And he says he has come away with some lasting memories he’s unlikely to forget this time around.
“It was like watching a behind-thescenes in virtual reality,” Oscar said.
“It’s so cool. There are no words I can use to describe how cool it is to be on set with everyone. Meeting everyone was the best part and working with them was just as good.”
The character of Neil was born to Nessa (Ruth Jones) and Smithy (James Corden) at the close of the show’s second series. Oscar played the part of Neil during a few scenes between episodes two and five of series three, alongside several other babies.
Baby Oscar can be spotted in scenes in a caravan during the second episode of series three, when Neil is introduced to Nessa’s dad.
When news of the Christmas special broke earlier this year, Oscar and his mum hoped they might get an invitation for an audition.
The call finally came and Oscar travelled down to a community centre in Cardiff, where he met some of the production team and performed a short scene he was given to learn a few days before. But Oscar thought he was only auditioning for a small part.
“Because it is Christmas time they gave me a carolling scene to do,” Oscar said.
“So I had to knock on the door and act really not bothered about it. My mum knew about half an hour after the audition, but I didn’t know until a couple of weeks later. I thought I was playing that small part, but then my mum said I was playing Neil. Oh my God! I couldn’t contain myself.” With filming due to start in the summer, Oscar began the process of learning his lines but discovered the production clashed with a big family holiday in Florida.
But a determined Oscar decided to forgo the holiday and allow his family to go on without him. Oscar and his mother stayed for the production.
“I would rather film,” he said. “I didn’t feel I missed out at all. I missed them but I didn’t feel like I missed out.”
Oscar’s first scenes were in the now-iconic Trinity Street in Barry, where Gwen, Doris and Uncle Bryn lived in the show.
It was on this night shoot when Oscar finally ran into his on-screen dad, James Corden, in the dressing room.
“I met everyone that night,” he said. “Everyone was in that scene. It was just surreal.
“It was unbelievable thinking I would meet Rob Brydon, Joanna Page, James Corden, Matthew Horne – it’s so cool.”
But Oscar said he formed his tightest bond with his on-screen mother.
He performed the majority of his scenes with Ruth Jones and found he performed naturally in her company.
“It’s really believable that we are a family,” Oscar said.
“You could tell. Everyone was laughing. Joanna Page was laughing about it.”
Oscar and his family plan to watch the Gavin & Stacey Christmas Special at home, where they will be having a big party to celebrate.