“What’s occurring?”
The long awaited finale of British comedy treasure Gavin & Stacey aired on Christmas Day’s prime time BBC slot at 9pm. If you’re mad about the cocktail of Welsh and Essex characters, you might have been attempting your best impressions over the holidays. Maybe you stuck a “lar” on the end of people’s names in honour of Gav-lar and Pam-lar or gave the festive food a thumbs up with a “tidy”. And of course, it wouldn’t have been Christmas if you didn’t let your family know, “Oh, I loves you.”
Much excitement surrounded the release of this finale. Gavin & Stacey first aired in 2007 as a sweet BBC Three sitcom with an average audience of under a million viewers. It’s second series got bumped up to BBC Two and won a few Baftas. By the time the third and final series came onto our TV screens in 2009, it was a prime time smash hit. It’s popularity rides on the show being an ensemble story; you get to choose your favourite character and follow their journey in equal measure to the two main characters who brought the gang together in the first place. The storylines are well balanced with family dynamics that are recognisable and relatable…even if they are bonkers. What family isn’t bonkers? The show is laced with nostalgia too, and in many ways, old-fashioned. We’ve kind of seen it all before, and yet, it still works.
Which is what Christmas time is all about, right?
Comfort zones. Slipping into familiarity. Traditions. If it ain’t broke…
The Gavin & Stacey Christmas special in 2019 attracted 11.6 million viewers. By the time catchup and streaming figures were included, that figure had grown to 17.1 million. This was just before Covid hit us, but it was still rare for so many people to collectively watch the same programme on TV unless it happened to be a football match or royal wedding. Now, with streaming services encompassing us left, right and centre, things aren’t “like they used to be.” We don’t go into work the next morning and chat about that episode of that drama. Kids don’t brag to their mates in school about how they were allowed to stay up late and watch that sitcom (or in my experience, The Crystal Maze every Thursday at 20.30-21.30 in the early 90s). We just watch what we want, when we want. And a simple comedy drama about a normal couple from different parts of the UK changed that, even if just for Christmas Day.
Yep. Gavin & Stacey: The Finale won the festive TV ratings battle with a whopping 12.3 million viewers this Christmas Day alone. It became the most watched Christmas Day programme in 16 years. It is reminiscent of the days when sitcoms like Only Fools and Horses and The Royle Family would bring millions of people together in unity to laugh and even perhaps shed a tear. Charlotte Moore, the BBC's Chief Content Officer, said Ruth Jones and James Corden created a “magical finale that fans will treasure forever. Their exquisitely written comedy creation is a show all about family, love and joy and it proved to be the unmissable TV event of the year.”
The story didn’t focus on Gavin and Stacey as such, but their best friends; Nessa and Smithy, played by the shows creators, Ruth Jones and James Corden. They share a son together from a one-night-stand many years ago and have co-parented successfully. But Nessa proposed to Smithy in the 2019 Christmas special, leaving a cliffhanger for fans that has lasted five years. This finale reveals what happened after that proposal and puts a nicely fitting lid onto the pot of laughs. Of course, there are plenty of ups-and-downs squeezed into the 90-minute episode, a delicious treat of will-they-wont-they. Smithy was indeed all set to get married…but not to Nessa. The nation gasped when Sonia (played terrifically by Laura Aikman) graced our screens. As she flashed her perfect pearly smile and tossed her hair extensions with an “Oh, babe,” we braced ourselves for a Christmas villain, the Grinch of Gavin & Stacey! Kudos to Laura Aikman for taking the NDA so seriously; she didn’t tell her family that she was starring in the finale and they found out only when she appeared on screen on Christmas Day. The actress even stayed at a different hotel from the other cast members during filming to keep the secret of her return intact!
Aside from the laughs and familiarity of the banter, there is poignancy too. Supporting characters Dawn and Pete have always provided endless giggles for the audience, but their situation portrayed the toxic traps of marriage and mirrored the almost newlyweds. Although this Christmas special wasn’t set during the festive period, it was full of nods including mentions of “that” Christmas before Covid which gave me shivers. I had recently rewatched the 2019 episode in anticipation of this grand finale and I couldn’t help but think of “that” Christmas; the last one before the world changed, the one before we knew what we know now. Flash mob vibes reminding the audience of Love, Actually come into play too when drama hits the big wedding scene, all met with much heart. It is Gavin who steps up to stop the vows, but only because Stacey had given him a good talking to, showing that behind every strong man is an even stronger woman.
It seems that the big talking point of this Christmas has indeed been Gavin & Stacey. Knowing I wanted to unleash my thoughts to Raemona, I have been asking friends and family what they believe causes this particular sitcom to strike such a perfect chord. “It’s the impromptu fun all the characters have,” a friend said. “The fun and the laughter comes from what happens around the solid plans, not from the plans itself.” And I think this hits the nail on the head. The crazy, fun night in the finale happened to be the night when the characters were supposed to be taking it easy ahead of the organised stag and hen parties the following day. And we’ve all been there, haven’t we? It’s never the main event that creates those perfect moments. It’s our imperfect lives, the normality, the every day. That’s when we truly laugh.
Some might say, well, the same thing happens in every episode of Gavin & Stacey, pretty much. I guess that’s what works. It’s familiar. It’s comfort food. We eat a beige buffet on Boxing Day because sometimes it’s so nice to indulge in something basic and easy. That’s Gavin & Stacey to the core. Sometimes I feel like the world has changed so much. It’s moving far too fast. We don’t get the chance to mourn what we lose. It’s hard to keep up. New stuff replaces old stuff that in truth didn’t need replacing. This Christmas, my little boy asked for something he could listen to music on with earphones. Giving him an old smartphone was not an option, he’s far too young to have the internet in his pocket. So Santa brought him an mp3 player. The kid hasn’t stopped listening to his favourite songs over and over without distraction. It goes to show that those old sayings are true; if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. A TV show like Gavin & Stacey is a prime example of this.
However…
We STILL didn’t find out what happened on that fishing trip!
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