Gavin and Stacey - The Complete Series

 

I recently re-watched Gavin and Stacey one of my first shows I watched at the beginning of my British television obsession. The concept of the show is great English boy falls for Welsh girl and some chaos ensues. Although Gavin and Stacey are the main couple the side couple of Smithy and Nessa is as equally interesting if perhaps not more in the later series. And of course the families of both Gavin and Stacey are crazy. This also started my love for the Welsh which has just grown over time.

I have known Joanna Page from the bit part she did as a porn stand in for Love Actually so it was nice seeing her in a proper role. Alison Steadman  I knew of course as Mrs. Bennent in the BBC Pride and Prejudice she kept some of the crazy aspects of Mrs. Bennet to her role as Pam. Pretending to be a vegetarian! Pam just starts digging a hole and never knows when to stop, awkward but entertaining. Of course I cannot forget Rob Brydon who I'm a definite fan of as previous entries can attest to. And seeing Russell Tovey was a real treat.

There's nothing particularly groundbreaking about the show but it's a great story which has led to its success. There was even talk of trying to adapt it for American television which thankfully didn't happen. There is just no way we could recreate the Welsh/English binary, especially in the television format. It would have to be something like an interracial relationship which I think is too dramatic for it to be seen as a comedy or not exciting enough to sustain a television series.

Gavin and Stacey is special as it tells a great story of a relationship through the ups and downs but its full of characters you want to keep coming back to week after week (although I almost always watch things in one go) It has an innocence about it which is refreshing. It's not bogged down by crime and mystery. The show does have some faults that on the second time through are more noticeable than the first time. Nessa was a little more annoying as well just because she was so rude to Gwen but that is her character so she can get away with it to a point. Stacey does tend to be annoying and pushy. She doesn't really think about anything and does things without thinking about the consequences. I don't know why she was just more annoying this time around. She is just so upbeat that it's unbelievable. However when she runs into the woman she doesn't like in the store and has a starring contest that was her best moment. It was so out of character but at the same time felt so natural, and to have Gavin totally confused made for a great comedic moment.