Gavin & Stacey Christmas special, review: James Corden and Ruth Jones reunite to remind us of a kinder sort of comedy
The IndependentGet our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Get our The Life Cinematic email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The whole band are reunited to celebrate Christmas and remind viewers of a kinder, gentler kind of comedy, one of BBC3’s standout triumphs. Gavin & Stacey was always lifted by its superior supporting cast, especially Larry Lamb and Alison Steadman as Gavin’s parents, Mick and Pam, and Brydon as Stacey’s cautious, protective Uncle Bryn. It would be easy for this clash-of-cultures comedy to tend to a sharper kind of humour, but it always had a warm squishy heart, offset by Corden and Jones’s more acerbic and wacky lines. Characters singing entire numbers rarely works in the middle of regular TV or film: dialogue’s rhythm is too brisk, especially in the relatively quickfire Gavin & Stacey universe.