It's the big Christmas Day comedy for 2019 and it's ten years since it last went out. No pressure then. Actually quite a lot of pressure. So it's a relief to say that the Gavin and Stacey Special was the ideal Christmas TV feast, from the jolly Step into Christmas dance at the start to the unexpectd marriage proposal from Nessa to Smithy at the end.
The hour-and-a-bit one-off reunited the original cast as they celebrated Christmas in south Wales and in some ways the basic storyline wrote itself as it touched in standard Xmas events - Bryn (Rob Brydon) getting stressed out by trying to cook lunch for 13 people with military precision and of course it goes a bit pear-shaped, the gift-giving and odd presents, and everyone going out to the Dolphin for a few drinks too many on Christmas Eve and after arguing about the best service stations having a karaoke singalong to the Pogues' Fairytale of New York (and, as was leaked, they did sing the 'f" word).
But then on top of that there were the Gavin and Stacey-specific storylines. Stacey (Joanna Page) and Gavin (Mathew Horne) trying to keep the romance alive in their marriage now that there's a risk of complacency and parenthood getting in the way.
And Smithy (James Corden) has some news up his sleeve for the Shipmans and the Wests by bringing along a new girlfriend. And Nessa (Ruth Jones) has developed a nice little earner on the side as a tattoist but she is having difficulty doing faces so does sunglasses on most of her jobs.
This might be an extended episode (there's also a brief appearance from Julia Davis as Dawn alongside the other regulars including, of course, the wonderful Alison Steadman and Larry Lamb) but it positively whizzed by as scene after scene delivered the goods. Given that it ended on a possible marriage cliffhanger, can it possibly be a one-off or will the entire cast be tempted back for more. I can't see why not. And maybe in less than another ten years.
Picture: BBC/GS TV Productions Ltd/Tom Jackson
