Gavin & Stacey

Cast

The surnames of well-known English serial killers were used for most main characters. Mathew Horne plays Gavin Shipman, the enthusiastic protagonist from Billericay. Joanna Page plays Stacey Shipman (née West), a woman from Barry who marries Gavin. James Corden plays Neil "Smithy" Smith, Gavin's closest friend.

Ruth Jones plays Vanessa Shanessa "Nessa" Jenkins, Stacey's closest friend. Larry Lamb plays Michael "Mick" Shipman, Gavin's father. Alison Steadman plays Pamela Andrea "Pam" Shipman (née Gryglaszewska), Gavin's mother. Rob Brydon plays Brynfor "Bryn" West, Stacey's uncle.

Melanie Walters plays Gwen West, Stacey's mother. Steffan Rhodri plays David Lloyd Gooch, known as "Dave Coaches". Julia Davis plays Dawn Sutcliffe, a friend of Pam and Mick.

Adrian Scarborough plays Peter "Pete" Sutcliffe, Dawn's husband. Margaret John plays Doris O'Neill, Gwen's neighbour. Robert Wilfort plays Jason West, Stacey's brother.

Episodes

The first series begins with Gavin Shipman, 28, living in Billericay with his parents, and Stacey West, 26, living in Barry Island with her mother and uncle. They meet in Leicester Square in London, along with their best friends Smithy and Nessa. Gavin and Stacey sleep together, as do Smithy and Nessa.

Gavin and Stacey become engaged and marry on 6 April 2007. The series ends with Nessa deciding not to tell Smithy she is pregnant. The second series opens with the newlyweds returning from their honeymoon. Nessa reveals her pregnancy to everyone except Smithy, who learns last.

Gavin and Stacey struggle with Stacey's homesickness for Barry Island. In the final episode, Stacey removes her wedding ring, but Nessa goes into labour early and gives birth to a boy named Neil. Gavin and Stacey reconcile.

Production

The idea for the show came to James Corden at a wedding reception; he developed it with Ruth Jones, whom he met on the ITV drama Fat Friends. They presented it to the BBC as a one-off play called It's My Day, but the BBC requested a full series. Gavin and Stacey were cast through auditions, with Mathew Horne and Joanna Page chosen for their chemistry.

Corden and Jones wrote the roles of Nessa and Smithy for themselves. Uncle Bryn was written for Rob Brydon, and Pam for Alison Steadman. Julia Davis was cast as Dawn, and Adrian Scarborough as Pete.

The three series were shot largely in Cardiff, Barry, Dinas Powys, Sully and Penarth. Gavin's house was filmed in Laburnum Way, Dinas Powys. The opening episode includes location shooting in Leicester Square, filmed in 2006.

Other appearances

Characters have appeared outside the series for charity. In the fifth episode of the second series, Bryn and Nessa perform a duet of "Islands in the Stream". This was adapted into "Barry Islands In The Stream", a Comic Relief mini-sketch aired on 21 February 2009, featuring Tom Jones and Robin Gibb. Released as a charity single, it reached number one on the UK Singles Chart on 15 March 2009.

For Red Nose Day 2009, a sketch aired with Smithy meeting the England national football team. Two charity spin-off episodes called Smithy have been produced. For Sport Relief 2010, Corden appeared as Smithy in a sketch with England footballers. On 19 December 2010, Corden as Smithy appeared at the live ceremony for the 2010 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards.

Did You Know?

• The show was named the 17th-greatest British sitcom in a 2019 Radio Times poll.
• The 2019 Christmas special was the most-watched non-sporting event in a decade and the most-watched comedy in 17 years.
• The finale on 25 December 2024 was the most-watched scripted show in over two decades.