Larry Lamb confirms Gavin & Stacey inspiration for new novel

Lamb shines a light on the hard-working crews who bring our beloved TV shows and films to light, sometimes in very difficult circumstances, as the grit and passion of Killian pushes through to wrap on the project.

RadioTimes.com had the pleasure of chatting to Lamb before the launch party for All Wrapped Up, where he spoke about the process of writing a novel, and how the spirit of Mick lives on in the pages.

"I think everyone's got a novel in them, and [this] one's been bubbling along inside of me for a long, long time," Lamb explained. "The more I worked with film crews, the more I thought 'these are the unheralded heroes of this game'. People said to me, 'Nobody ever writes about them and nobody ever talks about them,' but I work with them all the time."

Lamb set about changing that, showcasing in his pages packed with his trademark wit and charm that regardless of their roles in a film crew, they're all just honest and good hardworking people.

"This is a story about regular working people that just happened to work in an industry that fascinates everybody!"

Killian in particular is a character close to Lamb's heart, a culmination of many figures he's worked with, but most notably a reinvention of beloved Mick ("a gentle but strong working man... somebody who takes care of everybody, somebody you can rely on").

"It was a reflection of Mick. It was taking Mick back to his prime days. Mick Shipman is a solid character, and that's what the character in my story is all about. He's a solid guy with a big responsibility."

It's painted across his face how much Mick means to Lamb still, after 18 years of living with him.

"He's very close to me. He's basically a part of English life. And I was the one that was lucky enough to portray him because those people that wrote that extraordinary piece of work, they saw in me what they figured Mick had to be before I did."

You can buy All Wrapped Up now on Amazon.

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