Viewers were glued to their screens on Christmas Day back in 2019 when the cast of Gavin and Stacey reunited for a special episode, nine years after the last episode aired.
Fans have been waiting for the new series of the BBC sitcom for many years.
In an exclusive interview with Daily Star Alison Steadman (75), who played Pam Shipman, revealed that she doesn’t know if there will be another episode or a new series.
She said that she doesn’t dare ask Ruth (54), or James (43), if they have any plans on writing again. It’s an unwritten rule.
(Image: PA)
Liverpool-born Alison said: “People have never stopped watching it, I meet people all the time and they say ‘I didn’t see it the first time but I’m catching up with it’, it’s really grown amazingly, I just love it because it was such a happy time and a lovely series to do, everybody was broken up when we finished.
“Everyone was crying when they did their last take, everyone sort of bowed their heads and cried, including myself and we never thought it would come back.”
(Image: BBC/GS TV Productions Ltd/Tom Jackson)
Alison continued: “So the fact that we did this Christmas special was ridiculous,” before admitting that she didn’t tell anybody other than her partner that the cast were planning to film the episode.
She recalled: “I was nervous about going back to Gavin and Stacey because it had been ten years since we’d done it and I thought ‘Can I get the character back? Will it be ok?’, when something has been so successful, you don’t want to let everyone down.”
When asked about the cliffhanging ending that saw Nessa (Ruth Jones) propose to Smithy (James Corden) and whether she had an insight as to what would happen, Alison revealed: “We don’t ask, it’s kind of a given that you don’t go up and say ‘Ruth, is there going to be anymore?’
“Believe me, if there’s going to be anymore, they will just get on with it and we’ll find out, it’s not fair to them to start probing and digging, so none of us would dare to do that.”
(Image: BBC)
Speaking fondly of her co-stars, Alison revealed Ruth had sent her a “lovely” message on her birthday and the cast speak with one another in a WhatsApp group, even sharing memes of Alison’s character, Pam.
“At the end of Line of Duty, the final episode, somebody put this thing of Pam going ‘Is that it?!’ they used that and put a picture of Line of Duty underneath so when I got sent that, I immediately put it on our WhatsApp group for Gavin and Stacey,” Alison laughed and said the following:
(Image: BBC)
After partnering with Omaze to raise funds for Childline, Alison revealed she was horrified after hearing that calls to the service received 23 per cent more calls during the lockdown period.
She said: “The whole thing of children being abused or neglected, parents not caring or indeed being cruel has always been something that horrified me, it’s always upset me, just the thought of it.
“To think that you can have a child and not care for them, I know there are various reasons why this can happen but in lockdown, it was just exasperated.”
Alison continued: “It saves lives for some children to have Childline.
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