This offbeat comedy, which originally ran from 2007-10, thrives on less explicit social tensions
IT WAS A simpler time—and surely a less fractious one. A decade ago, when the BBC last screened a new episode of “Gavin & Stacey”, a sitcom about two sets of in-laws in Wales and Essex, New Labour was still in government. “Brexit” was years away from entering common parlance. Few people had ever used Twitter. Britain certainly had its tribes, but they had fewer occasions to be openly hostile towards each other.
In contrast, Stacey’s clan think the Billericay crowd are snobbish. Though Smithy is a loud-mouthed plumber, Gavin’s parents are well-off, and his mother Pam often makes jibes about the lack of sophistication in Wales. They also find the Welsh lexicon baffling. Most sentences begin with a promise of truth: “I’m not going to lie to you”, “I’ll tell you for why”, or “I am as it goes”. Words of approval include “lush”, “tidy” and “fair play”.
Smithy has been catching up with his mates, “Budgie”, “Dirtbox”, “Deano” and “Chinese Alan”. Stacey is looking forward to having Gavin back, after he returned to Essex briefly for the company Christmas party: “I bet they spend way more money on a head office do than a Welsh one.” The only character missing from the reunion is Doris , a horny octogenarian who used to hit on Gavin.
Mr Corden—who has had by far the most successful career since this show catapulted him to fame, and is now a late-night talk-show host in America—said that he and Ms Jones deliberately excluded any mention of politics or Brexit from the episode. The aim was to make “a nostalgic joy-bomb”. On that they have succeeded.
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