The upcoming Gavin And Stacey special is set to arrive on Christmas Day, but actor Larry Lamb has revealed that it’s not actually set at Christmas.
Lamb, who plays Gavin’s father, Mick, in the BBC sitcom, told BBC Essex that, while it’s airing on Christmas Day and labelled a Christmas special, it won’t be set at Christmas.
He said: “All I can tell you, is that unlike the last Christmas special, this one isn’t set at Christmastime. How about that?”
While he was careful not to give too much else away, he did say that the shoot went more quickly than it has previously, and discussed the secrecy of the production team, saying: “They’re very careful, because somebody will come and blast it out and you’ve blown the whole thing,” he said, referring to the production team’s secrecy. Filming lasted for five weeks and culminated on October 7.
The episode follows 2019’s Christmas special, itself the first new Gavin And Stacey episode in almost a decade, and is set to be the final episode of the show. Co-creators and co-writers Ruth Jones and James Corden confirmed news of the special in May, following leaked reports in February.
The special follows on from the events of the 2019 special, which culminated in a cliffhanger after Nessa (played by Jones) proposes to Smithy (Corden).
Larry Lamb (second from right) and his castmates during the National Television Awards 2020. CREDIT: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
Last month, Alison Steadman, who plays Mick’s wife, Pam, described the finale as “the best fun ever”. She told The Guardian, “I feel really proud. I mean, the last Christmas special got a huge audience. People stop me now in the street all the time: ‘Can’t wait. Can’t wait for Christmas Day!’ I hope we don’t let them down!”
In a five-star review of the last special, NME wrote: “Corden and Jones have crafted a near-perfect celebration of everything that made the show so great in the first place. Die-hard fans might have minor quibbles with a lack of character progression, but it’s clear Corden and Jones have resurrected their beloved baby with hugely successful results.
“Time will tell whether a more permanent return to Barry is on the cards, but without saying anything else, we certainly wouldn’t rule it out. All will become clear.”
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