Hardwood timber BBC One’s schedule this evening featured Gavin and Stacey: A Fond Farewell, a documentary delving into the beloved comedy series’ past twenty years, including insights into the reworked Christmas Special. The show made a triumphant return on Christmas Day, with viewers eagerly anticipating the potential romantic culmination between Smithy (played by James Corden) and Nessa (portrayed by Ruth Jones).
Originating in 2007, Gavin and Stacey chronicles the lives of two distinct families, one hailing from Billericay in Essex and the other from Barry Island in Wales, with Mathew Horne and Joanna Page starring as the titular couple. The ensemble cast boasts British household names such as Alison Steadman, Rob Brydon, and Larry Lamb.
Gavin and Staceys Ruth Jones lifted the lid on the scene
(Image: BBC)
In the revealing documentary, creators James Corden and Ruth Jones shared their initial dissatisfaction with the Christmas special they had penned, confessing they nearly scrapped the project entirely, reports the Mirror.
James Corden disclosed: “The 2019 special – I don’t know if people know this – but we gave up on it at one point. We’d written maybe halfway through and we went, ‘This is awful, it’s rubbish, it’s terrible.'”
He continued, reflecting on how close they came to abandoning the special: “It’s extraordinary how close we were… I remember us saying to each other, ‘Well thank god we didn’t call the BBC.'”
Corden recounted the pivotal moment, saying: “So we ate dinner in my kitchen and I said, ‘Look, I think we probably owe it to the show to go back in and talk about why it’s bad.'”
Concluding, he revealed the depth of their doubts, admitting: “We were about two hours from saying goodbye to it and saying, ‘We can never do it again. It isn’t very good.'”
James Corden said the first draft was ‘awful’
(Image: BBC)
Ruth chimed in during the discussion, sharing: “But then we realised – which is ‘true’ for every episode of Gavin and Stacey – the reason all these people are together is because of Gavin and Stacey.”
She continued: “So we released the reason it wasn’t working is because there wasn’t anything substantial for them.”
James interjected with his recollection of the breakthrough, adding: “Then that night at 11pm is when we came up with the scene of Stacey holding the matches. And it changed everything.”
He couldnt help but chuckle as he recounted: “Then we called the BBC the next day and it went from like ‘dead’ to, ‘Oh no it’s alright!'”
Gavin and Stacey started in 2007
(Image: BBC)
Viewers took their thoughts to X, previously known as Twitter, to express their feelings about the heartwarming goodbye documentary.
A fan wrote: “It’s a credit to #GavinAndStacey that it can get a fascinating behind-the-scenes documentary on prime time @BBCOne on New Year’s Day.” (sic)
Another viewer expressed their enthusiasm: “This #Gavinandstacey doc is superb. Love you @JKCorden x (and Ruth obvs , don’t think she’s on here.” (sic)
An admirer shared: “This Gavin and Stacey documentary on BBC1 atm is just what fans needed. Seeing all this behind the scenes footage is simply wonderful!” (sic)
An additional comment from a fan read: “I was a bit sceptical about if watching behind the scenes of Gavin and Stacey get made would be peak NYD tv but its so cute, i love watching creatives do their magic thing like this.” (sic)
Gavin and Stacey: A Fond Farewell is available to stream on BBC iPlayer now.
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