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As I delve into this heartwarming tale of Gavin and Stacey, my heart swells with nostalgia and admiration for the actors who breathed life into these cherished characters. Having grown up watching the series, I can’t help but feel a profound connection to their journey – one that mirrors the passage of time in our own lives.

Add Gavin & Stacey: the Finale to your watchlist

17 years have passed since the heartwarming, culturally resonant series “Gavin & Stacey,” which explored themes of love, friendship, and family complexities, initially graced our television screens. Now, the beloved characters Gavin, Stacey, and their families from both the West and Shipman clans are returning, with creators, writers, and stars James Corden and Ruth Jones concluding their long-running storyline in a heartwarming Christmas special.

If you’ve binged every single episode, then you’ve essentially witnessed my entire acting career on TV. In the sixth episode of the second season, there’s a goofy subplot where Pam Shipman (Alison Steadman) leads local resistance against a new cell tower. Due to a lengthy backstory from my days as a men’s magazine journalist, I make a brief appearance, standing out among the extras, playing one of the two phone company workers trying to install a sign amidst Pam’s angry crowd of protesters. This scene is the moment that people still frequently reach out to me about, even after my stint as a regular food critic on shows like MasterChef. And let’s face it, being a minor character in one of today’s most cherished British sitcoms is an outrageous, often-mentioned claim to notoriety.

In simple terms, after last year’s Christmas special, we’re almost at the point where much-discussed plot points like Uncle Bryn and Jason’s fishing trip, rumored funerals, and Smithy’s reaction to Nessa’s marriage proposal will be revealed. Given this excitement, my first question for Mat Horne and Joanna Page, who are reprising their roles as the main characters, is why I wasn’t invited back to play my crucial role again.

Horne chuckles and remarks, “Looks like this might take a more intense tone, but don’t worry, Jimi, it’s not about your act. We had a lengthy discussion about it, and I assure you, the decision was made to keep some elements unresolved for the audience.

Over the last five years, the enigma surrounding James Corden and Robert Jones’ apparent readiness to leave their viewers in suspense has been a major topic of discussion. Ever since the 2019 Christmas Day special (viewed by 18.5 million households) ended, there’s been an immense curiosity about what follows – even among the cast themselves. As Page puts it, “After the last special, I felt like a fan. I was wondering, ‘What happened? You can’t do this! What does Smithy say‘.” And truth be told, I wouldn’t be surprised if [Corden and Jones] decided to end it on that note.

In the final analysis, it was a series of unexpected phone calls in January 2024 that brought clarity. As Horne recounts with a grin, “James suddenly called me out of the blue, asking if I was familiar with Ruth Jones’ work.” Simultaneously, Page’s phone displayed Corden’s name, and she immediately thought, “Wow, this is really happening!” It came as no surprise that everyone was eager to reunite the group for one last hurrah in Barry and Billericay. Despite months passing with no plot details shared, production schedules finalized, Horne assures, “They didn’t disclose anything about the script, but I had complete faith.

There are worse things to be known for than Gavin

A couple of weeks prior to the July rehearsal, her patience was eventually rewarded with an email that found its way to Page in one of the most fitting locations – a roadside service station. “I had completed a job and pulled over at a rest stop to grab a burger on my drive home,” she recounts, “and as I glanced down at my phone, it displayed ‘Gavin & Stacey’: read-through script’.

Page spent several hours traveling from one gas station to another over the next few hours, eagerly discovering the outcomes of Gav, Stacey, Nessa, Smithy and their friends – all while being cautious not to receive a parking ticket. She describes the finale as “typically brilliant” in the style of “Gavin & Stacey”, while Horne adds his praise: “They have crafted the ideal conclusion.

The UK will need to hold off until Christmas Day to unwrap this gift and discover the finale’s secret, but the cast has worked diligently to conceal it. Maintaining secrecy wasn’t always simple, as throngs of fans and paparazzi invaded filming spots in and around Barry Island.

In Page’s case, some intense curiosity was sparked within her immediate family, as she is married to fellow actor James Thornton and they have four children together. During filming, she ensured that no plot secrets were divulged to her 11-year-old daughter, Eva. At one point, the actress cleared everyone out of her bedroom so she could rehearse her lines. “Then I discovered an iPad hidden under the bed, secretly recording everything,” she chuckles. “In my own home, I had to watch what I said to avoid revealing anything! The idea of being the one who accidentally spills a secret is absolutely petrifying.

A significant challenge awaited as these actors returned to roles they originated nearly two decades prior. “Before we began,” Page recounts, “‘I wondered to my mum, how will I portray Stacey again? I’m 47 now, a mother of four, and I don’t resemble the youthful exuberance I once had. So, can I still embody that spirited, bubbly character?’

It fell upon her mother to point out that Stacey Shipman, currently a 40-something mother of three and in a long-term marriage, has also evolved over time. “She’s matured just as I have,” she notes. “So I didn’t dwell on it too much and we simply had a good time together.” Even though she was quite emotional during her final scenes, she recognized the positive aspects of these changes. “I wasn’t responsible for the school drop-offs anymore, I didn’t need to cook endlessly, people were even bringing me tea,” she reflects. “It felt like a vacation.

Being the one who reveals something is a terrifying thought

For Horne, filming the finale marked a refreshing shift, coming at a time when he felt grateful for being recognized as Gavin Shipman rather than typecast as a perpetually puzzled sidekick. At 46, he acknowledges, “Being associated with Gavin Shipman as an actor is far from terrible.” He found this realization incredibly liberating. Interestingly, recent changes in his life – such as having a newborn son with his partner, set designer Celina Bassili – have made him feel a stronger connection to the character of Gavin. “Gavin has been a constant source of inspiration for me over the past 17 years,” Horne muses, “Perhaps it was he who nudged me towards becoming a father too.

This rich sense of the passage of time is sure to be a key part of the finale’s potent cocktail. It’s also why, though Horne admires the fact Corden and Jones are “finishing on their own terms”, Page would welcome the possibility of a few more sporadic, Royle Family-style specials.

As a devoted film fan, I can’t help but express my deep longing to return annually to this magical experience. However, I must admit that the prospect of its continuation seems highly unlikely. The finality of it all is something I can certainly understand. Regarding the upcoming Christmas Day episode, we should prepare ourselves for a heartrending spectacle filled with unexpected twists, the conspicuous absence of a rather awkward phone company representative, and, much like my own family, a delightful dose of familiar holiday turmoil.

She mentions that they plan to catch the special program, but she’ll likely have a glass of sherry or wine and ask everyone around to keep quiet, only to start crying when it’s revealed as the last one. In essence, she predicts it will be quite an emotional Gavin & Stacey Christmas.

The fictitious couple from Billericay and Barry, their love story on screen, is about to come to an end. Yet, it seems that they’ve left a lasting impression on the performers who breathed life into them, and on the audience who enjoyed each heartwarming scene.

2024-12-13 20:35

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