Gavin and Stacey star plots spin-off that will ‘double BBC’s money’
Gavin and Stacey may be over but that’s not stopped one cast member from plotting a spin-off that could ‘double the BBC’s money’
The beloved series – which followed the lives of two families brought together by the unlikely relationship between Gavin Shipman (Mathew Horne) and Stacey West (Joanna Page) – returned for one last episode on Christmas Day last year.
More than 19 million people sat down to watch Smithy (James Corden) and Nessa (Ruth Jones) finally tie the knot over the festive period, making it the most-watched scripted show in the UK across all broadcasters since records began in 2002 with 12.3m viewers taking a break from their turkey to tune in on Christmas Day.
Unsurprisingly, there have been rumours of a continuation or reboot of some kind ever since the finale broke records, and according to Larry Lamb – who plays Gavin’s lovable dad, Mick Shipman – is the one leading the charge.
Lamb, 77, claims to have told BBC Director-general Tim Davie to ‘take the show, reorganise all the contracts and put it in the cinema’.
‘You’d have 35m people going to see it,’ Lamb told The Times ahead of the release of his novel All Wrapped Up. ‘You’d make all the money over again.’
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Before you start getting excited about your next trip to Barry Island, though, Lamb isn’t sure if Davie was entirely convinced by the idea.
‘Well, he’s the boss of the BBC,’ Lamb continued. ‘You don’t give the game away, do you? From the look on his face, it was either: “That’s not a bad idea,” or “I wish these people would stop trying to do my job for me. They can barely do their own.”’
This isn’t the first time Lamb has hinted about Gavin and Stacey continuing beyond the finale.
While talking to the Radio Times ahead of the Christmas special the star said: ‘I don’t think the BBC will ever kill the goose that laid the golden egg,’ and when pressed on if that meant we might see more of the Shipman-West family in the future he teased, ‘Who knows?’
Do you think a Gavin and Stacey spin-off is a good idea?
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Yes
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No
Sadly, two people who would know are the show’s co-creators Corden and Jones, and they have been clear that the show could never return for more episodes.
Jones admitted during the Gavin & Stacey: A Fond Farewell documentary that aired after the finale that it comes down to Smithy and Nessa.
‘When Smithy and Nessa got together, that really is the end, because we can never see them actually together,’ Jones said. ‘Seeing Smithy put the bins out? It just won’t work.’
Fans (mostly) agree with Jones as well. On the Gavin and Stacey page on Reddit, a thread discussing a hypothetical spin-off was met with skepticism.
Indigo-Waterfall expressed pessimism about the idea of a spin-off, saying that the show ‘ended on a good note’. While Icy_Sentence_4130 added: ‘I don’t think we need anything else tbh. It ended perfectly.’
That said, one idea that fans did seem excited about was a new show all about Nessa and her weird and wonderful life before settling on Barry Island. So, move over Young Sheldon; it’s time for Young Nessa.
Gavin and Stacey is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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