Gavin & Stacey
What's occurring in Barry and Billericay?
Gavin & Stacey is a much-loved BBC sitcom created by and starring James Corden and Ruth Jones. It follows Gavin, an Essex lad from Billericay, and Stacey, a Welsh girl from Barry Island, whose long-distance romance draws together their families and best friends: the loud-mouthed Smithy and the deadpan Nessa. Across three series from 2007 to 2010 the warm, endlessly quotable comedy became a national favourite. It returned for a record-breaking 2019 Christmas special that ended on Nessa’s shock proposal to Smithy, then concluded with The Finale on Christmas Day 2024, which drew one of the largest UK scripted TV audiences on record.
Start a quizAt a glance
- First aired
- 13 May 2007
- Last aired
- 25 December 2024
- Created by
- James Corden and Ruth Jones
- Channel
- BBC Three, then BBC One
- Series
- 3
- Episodes
- 22
- Set in
- Billericay, Essex, and Barry, south Wales
- Quizzes
- 3
Gavin & Stacey quizzes
From Barry Island to Billericay: test your knowledge of the nation's favourite long-distance romance.
Tidy! Test your knowledge of Nessa, Smithy, Bryn and the whole gang from Barry and Billericay.
From Leicester Square to the Barry finale, how well do you know the story of Gavin and Stacey?
Gavin & Stacey cast and characters
Gavin Shipman
Played by Mathew Horne
A level-headed Essex lad from Billericay who still lives with his parents when the story begins. He falls for Stacey after months of phone calls at work, and they meet for the first time in London.
Stacey Shipman
Played by Joanna Page
A lively young woman from Barry who lives with her widowed mother Gwen. She marries Gavin at the end of series 1 but struggles with homesickness when she moves to Essex.
Neil 'Smithy' Smith
Played by James Corden
Gavin's loud, loyal best friend from Billericay. His on-off relationship with Nessa, the mother of his son Neil, runs through the whole series and ends at the altar in The Finale.
Vanessa 'Nessa' Jenkins
Played by Ruth Jones
Stacey's deadpan best friend from Barry, famous for "What's occurring?" and her improbable brushes with celebrities. She has a son, Neil, with Smithy.
Bryn West
Played by Rob Brydon
Stacey's fussy, over-protective Uncle Bryn, who lives across the road from Gwen. He is still haunted by an unspoken incident on a fishing trip with his nephew Jason.
Pam Shipman
Played by Alison Steadman
Gavin's house-proud, over-protective mother in Billericay, who dotes on her only son and finds it hard to let him go.
Mick Shipman
Played by Larry Lamb
Gavin's calm, down-to-earth father and Pam's husband.
Gwen West
Played by Melanie Walters
Stacey's kind, widowed mother in Barry, who is forever offering to make everyone an omelette.
Dawn Sutcliffe
Played by Julia Davis
Pam and Mick's friend in Essex, whose marriage to Pete plays out in a string of bitter public rows.
Gavin & Stacey facts and FAQs
- When was Gavin and Stacey first on TV?
- Gavin & Stacey first aired on BBC Three on 13 May 2007. It moved to BBC One for the 2008 Christmas special, the third series ended on 1 January 2010, and the show returned for Christmas specials in 2019 and 2024.
- How many series (seasons) and episodes of Gavin and Stacey are there?
- There are three series (seasons) and 22 episodes in total, counting the three Christmas specials. Series 1 has six episodes, series 2 has seven and series 3 has six, plus specials in 2008, 2019 and 2024.
- Who created and wrote Gavin and Stacey?
- James Corden and Ruth Jones created and wrote every episode of Gavin & Stacey, and they also play Smithy and Nessa. It was produced by Baby Cow Productions for BBC Wales.
- Is Gavin and Stacey a sitcom?
- Yes, Gavin & Stacey is a British sitcom: a romantic comedy about two families from Essex and south Wales. Unlike studio sitcoms, it was shot single-camera on location.
- What is Gavin and Stacey about?
- Gavin & Stacey follows Gavin from Billericay and Stacey from Barry, who fall in love over months of work phone calls and finally meet in London's Leicester Square. Their romance throws together two very different families and their best friends, Smithy and Nessa.
- Where are Gavin and Stacey from?
- Gavin is from Billericay in Essex, and Stacey is from Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, south Wales. Much of the comedy comes from the two families travelling back and forth between the two towns.
- Where was Gavin and Stacey filmed?
- Gavin & Stacey was filmed mostly in Barry and Barry Island, with Cardiff standing in for parts of Billericay and more scenes shot in Dinas Powys, Sully and Penarth. The Shipmans' Billericay home is really a house in Dinas Powys, and the first episode includes scenes shot in Leicester Square, London.
- Will there be more Gavin and Stacey?
- No, Gavin & Stacey ended with The Finale on Christmas Day 2024, which closed the story with Smithy and Nessa's wedding. It became the most-watched scripted programme in the UK since current records began in 2002.
Awards and recognition
BAFTA Audience Award and Best Comedy Performance for James Corden (2008)
British Comedy Award for Best TV Comedy (2008)
The 2024 finale became the UK's most-watched scripted programme since records began in 2002