Gavin & Stacey stars reveal why Billericay was originally chosen for show

Well, now the duo are hitting the road in their very own mini travel series, Alison & Larry: Billericay to Barry, experiencing the highly-referenced journey from Billericay in Essex to Barry in Wales for themselves.

Across three episodes, Steadman and Lamb will make the 210-mile voyage while stopping off at some great countryside spots and places that hold a personal connection to them – and they may even bump into some familiar faces on the way.

One of the very first people they meet up with in the first episode in Billericay, in fact, is Russell Tovey, who starred as Budgie in Gavin & Stacey.

Chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com about their new show, Lamb revealed an interesting anecdote about the original comedy series.

He said: "I’d not worked with Russell other than in Gavin & Stacey, but then we found out that the reason it was based in Billericay was because James Corden asked Russell when they were working together on History Boys, 'We’ve got this character, we’ve got this thing, where would he be from, do you think?' and Russell said Billericay.

"That’s it, that’s how Billericay got in it – but that was about all that Billericay featured. It was just lovely to go and see the place, meet the mayor and meet some of the people – it was a really great starting point."

Tovey, who has gone on to feature in dramas such as American Horror Story: NYC, Quantico and The Good Liar, was born in Billericay in Essex and meets up with Steadman and Lamb in the first episode.

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But in addition to meeting up with old friends along their journey, Steadman and Lamb will take part in activities "designed to unleash their inner 'Pam and Mick'", according to the synopsis.

Chatting to RadioTimes.com about what viewers can expect from the three episodes, Steadman said "hopefully more fun".

Lamb added: "Two friends enjoying whatever crops up along the way. I mean, that’s all it was, because they didn’t tell us what we were going to be doing. They just said, 'Right, we’re going to the Cotswolds, we’re going to so and so.'

"They didn’t say what you’re going to do when you got there, and they didn’t say who you were going to meet. We were thrown in the deep end every time - but that’s what makes it interesting."

Lamb added about their new show: "It was about us, the two people, the two actors that all these people all over Britain love, just getting together for a road trip.

"But the significance was going from Billericay to Barry, to make sure Billericay got in on the act – because it never was in on the act, [Gavin & Stacey] was all about Barry."

Alison & Larry: Billericay to Barry premieres on Gold on Monday 14th August 2023. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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