Why The Original Gavin & Stacey Christmas Special Is A True Festive Masterpiece

Posted on 23/12/2023 by Boris Clair

While every year there are moans and groans about the Christmas TV schedules being packed with repeats, there’s one show that we definitely don’t mind watching again and again – the original Gavin & Stacey special.

The BBC sitcom had been running for two seasons by the time we got the first festive episode in 2008, and what a Christmas special it was.

While we’d seen plenty of interactions between the entire Shipman and West clan in the years previous, there was a real moment of joy seeing them all prepare for their first Christmas together following Gavin and Stacey’s wedding.

Not only did the hour-long episode deliver on comedy and plot, but it also highlighted all those little Christmas foibles that go on in households up and down the country come 25 December.

And while it was a burst of nostalgia having the gang back together in 2019 for the much-anticipated reunion episode, there’s something magical about the original that made it such a festive masterpiece.

Here’s why it’s a show that’s worthy of repeat viewing every December…

1. Pam’s take on Christmas cards

Pam had strong views on when to send Christmas cards

Before 2008, we were always baffled as to why some people would send their Christmas cards before December had even rolled around, but Pam Shipman imparted some serious wisdom on us that made us completely reverse our stance.

“What is the point of sending cards that arrive on Christmas Eve? They’ll get taken down in a few days. That’s why I send all mine on the first of November. Gives people seven weeks to enjoy them,” she said.

You have to admit, she has a point, right?

2. John who?

Speaking of Christmas cards, Pam and Mick also tapped into something we’ve all heard our parents say when they receive a festive greeting from someone they cannot quite place.

“Oh, look at that, ‘From John’… It could be mechanic John… It won’t be John from Ann and John.”

3. Doris being ‘absolutely twatted’ before lunchtime on Christmas Eve

A relatable queen.

4. Nessa in the grotto

“Oh! Oh! Oh! Merry Christmas” was an inspired piece of writing from Ruth Jones and James Corden.

5. Gavin and Smithy’s sing-a-long

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It’s the scene that inspired James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke, and despite the fact he’s had the likes of Adele, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga join him in his car to sing along to their biggest hits, it’s still Smithy’s duet down the phone on Do They Know It’s Christmas? that remains the original and the best.

We’ve also never been able to say Midge Ure’s name the same way since.

6. The mint Baileys scene

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The scene where Gwen and Bryn share their first ever mint Baileys before boarding the coach to Essex wasn’t big or flashy, but it had a quiet comfort and poignancy about it, which Gavin & Stacey always nails so perfectly.

7. Mick’s turkey saga

Are you basting it? Are you soaking it overnight? Are you doing it the Nigella way? Or are you sticking to Jamie Oliver, because you “know where you are with him”?

Through the characters of Mick and Pete, the Christmas special managed to perfectly encapsulate the bizarre obsession and competitiveness dads have with other men about their turkeys each year.

8. The fight

Pam wasn't exactly thrilled with Gavin's news — Pam wasn’t exactly thrilled with Gavin’s news

Pam’s eruption after finding out her “little prince” was planning on relocating to Barry set off a chain of events that made this scene one of the most memorable in Gavin & Stacey history.

Not only did Alison Steadman absolutely commit to the moment, but we also saw Gwen finally stand up to Pam, Nessa threaten to “see her outside” (and Pam stupidly believe she could take her on), before Pete went toe-to-toe with Dave Coaches to defend Dawn’s honour.

Admittedly, there’s some language that we’d hope wouldn’t make it into the script in 2021, and we were very pleased when they all put the row behind them. But it has to be said, this scene shook up the dynamic between all the characters and also sent up those fights that happen in every family each festive season.

9. Pam and Mick’s royal romp

We learned that Pam’s obsession with the Duchess of Cornwall translated into the bedroom as she prepared to be “knighted” with Mick’s “special sword” while he was wearing a comedy pair of Prince Charles ears.

10. Pam’s vegetarianism comes unstuck

As “Three Steaks Pam” faced the prospect of a turkey-less Christmas after her long-standing lies about being a vegetarian, it transpired she hadn’t fooled anyone with her stance on meat – except for Gwen that is, who had bought her a vegetarian cookbook for Christmas.

11. The opening of the ‘presents’

Nessa and Dave gifted everyone a single chocolate from a box of Celebrations

Never before had we been so eager to see which Celebration someone was eating, and we definitely still relate to Smithy wrapping all his presents in tin foil for ease.

Doris gifting Gwen talcum powder, despite her still having a stack of it unused at home from previous years, was also a foible we’ve seen play out during present openings over the years.

12. The Nessa and Smithy sexual tension

Smithy didn't want Nessa to marry Dave — Smithy didn’t want Nessa to marry Dave

Years before we got the 2019 Christmas proposal, there was a special moment between Nessa and Smithy that gave fans hope that the characters would finally end up together as Smithy urged her not to marry Dave Coaches.

13. The end song

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Gavin & Stacey: 19 Behind-The-Scenes Secrets You Didn’t Know About The 2008 Christmas Special

Posted on 25/12/2022 by Boris Clair

There’s a reason why the original Gavin & Stacey Christmas episode is consistently hailed as one of the best festive TV specials ever made – it is a masterpiece, as we’ve previously written ourselves.

The episode, which sees the West and the Shipmans come together for their first Christmas as an extended family, originally pulled in more than 7 million viewers when it first aired on Christmas Eve back in 2008.

Here we share the behind-the-scenes secrets even the biggest fans might not even know about…

1. The special was filmed in October 2008 over 12 days in and around Barry, leaving the team just two months to edit it until it was on TV.

2. It was conceived after writers and creators Ruth Jones and James Corden didn’t have time to do a whole new series, but could fit in making a special.

The episode was filmed just over two months before it aired

3. They had also been fascinated with the idea of bringing together the Shipmans and the Wests for Christmas, and the chance to explore different festive foibles.

4. Many of the cast fell sick with flu during filming, according to a 2017 interview Ruth Jones (Nessa) gave to Radio Times, and there was an on-set doctor.

Filming of the 2008 Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special

5. The first scene that the cast and crew filmed was the one where Smithy visits Stacey at work to ask her to help him with his Christmas shopping.

6. The scene was shot at the Culverhouse Cross Marks & Spencer, which is located just outside Cardiff – despite the store being set in Essex.

7. James (Smithy) admitted he hadn’t learned his lines properly before starting the shoot, and also had fun wheeling Joanna Page (Stacey) around in shopping crates in between takes.

Joanna Page and James Corden in between takes

8. Another location you might have spotted in the special is the Welcome Break at Cardiff Gate, where the Barry lot stop off en route to Essex.

9. The baby who played Neil was sick all over Melanie Walters (Gwen) while filming on location at the services.

10. James wasn’t driving Smithy’s car in the scene where he’s singing Do They Know It’s Christmas down the phone with Gavin – the crew used what’s called a low loader, which essentially tows the car.

Smithy's car on the low-loader — Smithy’s car on the low-loader

11. Mathew Horne (Gavin) was sat in the back of the low loader while James was filming his parts of the scene, and sang along down a microphone so that James could hear him in the car. He then filmed his turn as Gavin in the scene separately.

12. The child who visited Nessa’s grotto was played by Ruth’s real-life nephew, Zakk.

13. Mathew ripped his trousers while filming the scene where Gavin and Stacey come home on Christmas Eve.

14. The Christmas Eve fight scene struck fear into the director because it featured all 12 characters, and Ruth admitted she had to give him a warning after writing it.

15. The Christmas dinner the gang all tuck into was actually cooked on-location in Pam and Mick’s real-life kitchen, Ruth revealed to Radio Times in 2017.

The Shipmans and the Wests spent their first Christmas together

16. The mammoth scene was filmed on the penultimate day of the 12-day shoot, with press and promotional pictures also being taken in the house in between takes.

17. James was also caught taking naps on the Shipmans’ living room sofa during his downtime, where Juila Davis (Dawn) drew on his face.

18. The final scene to be filmed on the last day of the shoot was the unwrapping of the presents, with Dave’s proposal to Nessa being the final shot in the can.

19. There was a feeling from James that the cast would “never make another Christmas special again” – but thankfully, that proved not to be the case, when in 2019, a follow-up finally arrived…

The Gavin & Stacey 2008 Christmas Special is available to watch on BBC iPlayer. You can also purchase behind-the-scenes documentary Gavin & Stacey: 12 Days Of Christmas on iTunes and Amazon Prime Video.

Why The Gavin & Stacey 2008 Christmas Special Is A Festive Masterpiece

Posted on 25/12/2021 by Boris Clair

The BBC sitcom had been running for two seasons by the time we got the first festive episode in 2008, and what a Christmas special it was.

Not only did the hour-long episode deliver on comedy and plot, but it also highlighted all those little Christmas foibles that go on in households up and down the country come 25 December.

Here’s why it’s a show that’s worthy of repeat viewing every December…

1. Pam’s stance on Christmas cards

Prior to 2008, we were always baffled as to why some people would send their Christmas cards before December had even rolled around, but Pam Shipman imparted some serious wisdom on us that made us completely reverse our stance.

You have to admit, she has a point, right?

2. John who?

Speaking of Christmas cards, Pam and Mick also tapped into something we’ve all heard our parents say when they receive a festive greeting from someone they cannot quite place.

“Oh, look at that, ‘From John’… It could be mechanic John… It won’t be John from Ann and John.”

3. Doris being “absolutely twatted” before lunchtime on Christmas Eve

A relatable queen.

4. Nessa in the grotto

“Oh! Oh! Oh! Merry Christmas” was an inspired piece of writing from Ruth Jones and James Corden.

5. Gavin and Smithy’s sing-a-long

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We’ve also never been able to say Midge Ure’s name the same way since.

6. The mint Baileys scene

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7. Mick’s turkey saga

Are you basting it? Are you soaking it overnight? Are you doing it the Nigella way? Or are you sticking to Jamie Oliver, because you “know where you are with him”?

Through the characters of Mick and Pete, the Christmas special managed to perfectly encapsulate the bizarre obsession and competitiveness dads have with other men about their turkeys each year.

8. The fight

Pam’s eruption after finding out her “little prince” was planning on relocating to Barry set off a chain of events that made this scene one of the most memorable in Gavin & Stacey history.

Admittedly, there’s some language that we’d hope wouldn’t make it into the script in 2021 and we were very pleased when they all put the row behind them. But it has to be said, this scene shook up the dynamic between all the characters and also sent up those fights that happen in every family each festive season.

9. Pam and Mick’s royal romp

10. Pam’s vegetarianism comes unstuck

11. The opening of the “presents”

Never before had we been so eager to see which Celebration someone was eating, and we definitely still relate to Smithy wrapping all his presents in tin foil for ease.

Doris gifting Gwen talcum powder, despite her still having a stack of it unused at home from previous years, was also a foible we’ve seen play out during present openings over the years.

12. The Nessa and Smithy sexual tension

13. The end song

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No, you’re crying.

All episodes of Gavin & Stacey are available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

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