Alison Steadman: 'I don’t know if Gavin & Stacey would be made today'
The star spoke to Radio Times about the return of the legendary sitcom.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.
How did you feel when you found out this would be the last ever episode?
Pretty sad – we do feel a bit like a family, and we’ve all grown very fond of each other. I knew James and Ruth all the way back from doing Fat Friends, and they wrote Pam for me. How lucky is that?
How similar to Pam are you?
I’m not like Pam at all! But that’s what I enjoy about acting – becoming somebody else. The first scene I read was Gavin coming home from work, Pam lying on the couch with cucumbers on her eyes after crying watching little badgers on TV.
She says, 'The mother badger was crying because all the little cubs died'. He says, 'Mum, I don’t think badgers can cry'. Then Pam says, 'I know what I saw'. As soon as I read it, I could hear her voice.
Would you like them to keep going?
Nothing goes on for ever, and it’s inevitable that Ruth and James just cannot keep coming up with these amazing stories.
Why are Pam and Mick so special?
Me and Larry just click. I love the moments when they have a row, then within minutes, she falls into his arms. I think that’s why the audience love it, because there’s that warmth.
Of all the work you've done, is this the show you get approached the most about?
Other parts get talked about, but young people particularly love Gavin & Stacey. They stop me for selfies all the time, and ask me about the Christmas finale, but we are sworn to secrecy…
It’s a different world for sitcoms now – would Gavin & Stacey be made today?
I don’t know. There used to be a single producer coming up with ideas, now there’s meetings with five or six producers chipping in their two penn'orth. When we did Abigail’s Party [1977], a BBC producer saw us on stage at the Hampstead Theatre and within a fortnight of finishing, we were filming it. That would never happen now.
Pam loves Christmas – are you the same?
I’ve had a bit of sadness in my life because my eldest sister died in October. It's been a tough time. I used to host but last Christmas, we were all at my boy's house. The main thing is, I love being with my family – my kids, and my two little grandsons. So, this Christmas will be delightful but also sad.
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Gavin & Stacey returns on Christmas Day.
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