Alison Steadman reveals the scene that convinced her to do Gavin and Stacey

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Alison Steadman has revealed the scene that convinced her to sign on to the hit sitcom Gavin and Stacey, in which she starred as Gavin’s neurotic mum Pamela. I’ve been crying all afternoon, I’ve been watching this programme, this mother badger was crying because her babies had died.’ ‘Mum, badgers don’t cry.’ ‘Gavin, I know what I saw.’” Steadman said that scene made her think: “I’ve got to do this.” The Life is Sweet actor went on to portray Pam, known lovingly as “Three Steaks Pam” to avid viewers, alongside her on-screen husband Mick until the series ended in 2010. open image in gallery Pam tells Gavin she’s been ‘crying all afternoon’ over a nature programme Writing about Gavin and Stacey in her new memoir, Out of Character, Steadman wrote that “Pam, aka Pammalarr, was a gift of a part for me”. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free open image in gallery Stacey confronts Pam about her meat-eating habits in her ‘vegetarian’ era Steadman also listed some of her favourite silly one-liners that Pam says in the series, such as “What you said then was really boring, I switched off after banana” to Stacey; “You’re a leek-munching sheep sh*****” to Stacey’s mum Gwen and, “My little prince, you’re the victim of a victimisation” to Gavin. She added: “Then there’s the phrases that are in her DNA such as ‘Oh, my Christ’ and ‘You and me are going to fall out today, Mick, Michael.’” Created by James Corden and Ruth Jones, the series stars Mathew Horne and Joanna Page as Gavin and Stacey, an Essex boy from Billericay and a Welsh girl from Barry Island, who fall in love from afar, and tracks how their families unite as their romance develops.