The Internet went into complete meltdown yesterday (Tuesday 28th May), when James Corden confirmed the news we've all been waiting for... a Gavin & Stacey Christmas Special, written by himself and co-star Ruth Jones.
Now, as excitement builds for the new episode, Larry Lamb, who played the role of Gavin's dad, Mick Shipman between 2007-2010, appeared on This Morning where he confessed the new script made him cry.
Speaking to hosts Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, 71-year-old Larry said, 'It’s amazing what him [James] and Ruth have managed to do. I’ve finally read the script, it really got me, I read the first little sequence and just found myself crying.
"It was like running into someone major in your life, you’re not bothered what they do, it was so poignant. I was immediately into the feel of the whole thing, it just brought me along.
'It’s all about this melding of people from different elements of British society, the mindset of people who live in Barry island and mindset of people in Bury, England, that was the strength. That clever thing of bringing them together and mixing them all up."
Check out the Gavin & Stacey cast now and then:
Gavin and stacey then and now SLIDER
1 of 20James Corden (Smith) : then
"DON'T YOU COME ON ME, MATE'
2 of 20James Corden (Smithy): now
James Corden's now thousands of miles away from his Smithy days - quite literally. He lives in America, and presents The Late Late Show.
3 of 20Ruth Jones (Nessa): then
Arguably the best character of anything ever, here's Ruth Jones' Nessa in her heyday
4 of 20Ruth Jones (Nessa) now
Ruth looks SO DIFFERENT these days. HOW is that Nessa?!
5 of 20Joanna Page (Stacey) then
'It's like chocolate and bits of rocks'
6 of 20Joanna Page (Stacey) now
Joanna's changed loads since G&S, but is still definitely recognisable as Stacey.
7 of 20Mathew Horne (Gavin) then
Remember Gavin's weird, weird hair?
8 of 20Mathew Horne (Gavin) now
Mathew's hair is now considerably more normal. And he's a bit of a fitlord, isn't he?
9 of 20Larry Lamb (Mick) then
'It's the last thing you expect to find when you get to work in the morning'
10 of 20Larry Lamb (Mick) now
We have a very weird and confusing crush on Larry Lamb, particularly after his 2016 stint on I'm A Celebrity...
11 of 20Alison Steadman (Pam) then
'DO YOU THINK ILL OF ME MY CHILD?' We forever are in love with Pam.
12 of 20Alison Steadman (Pam) now
Oh lawks. Look how different Pam looks now
13 of 20Rob Brydon (Bryn) then
Bryn is forever Uncle goalz
14 of 20Rob Brydon (Bryn) now
Rob Brydon looks pretty much the same TBH
15 of 20Melanie Walters (Gwen) then
Forever fantasising about Gwen's omelettes
16 of 20Melanie Walters (Gwen) now
Melanie played the fairy godmother at Blackpool's Grand Theatre in their Cinderella panto.
17 of 20Steffan Rhodri (Dave Coaches) then
How's it goin', alrigh'?
18 of 20Steffan Rhodri (Dave Coaches) now
LOOK AT DAVE NOW!
19 of 20Julia Davis (Dawn) then
Dawn and Pete - the ultimate relationship goals
20 of 20Julia Davis (Dawn) now
Julia Davis still lookin' fab
Larry also revealed on the show just how James Corden delivered the news to him. Admitting James called him from Los Angeles, Larry said, “I was just going to make this phone call, nothing important, I forget what it was and then all of a sudden I get this phone call from a Los Angeles number. Then someone said ‘Hello, Larry, it’s James Corden.’ And I couldn’t believe it, I said ‘What do YOU want’ and on it went. We just had about 10 minutes on the phone.”
He then added, "He [James] said ‘I just want to know if you’re available in the next little while, as it looks like we’re going to be doing a Christmas Special. It was quite extraordinary, the whole thing. It was quite Hollywood-esque getting this phone call from a Hollywood superstar over there in LaLa Land just to say we’re going to take a trip back down memory lane.”
James, who currently presents The Late Late Show out in America, confirmed the exciting news yesterday morning (Tuesday 28th May), posting a snap of the script on Instagram.
He wrote, 'Ruth Jones and I have been keeping this secret for a while... We’re excited to share it with you. See you on Christmas Day @BBCOne #GavinandStacey'. [sic]
Roll on Christmas Day is all we can say! 🙌
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