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Gavin and Stacey

I only say this: “Alright, what’s occurring?”. And if it doesn’t make you smile, it probably means you haven’t got the foggiest what I’m on about. In this case you might want to check the following link first and come back for the post afterwards: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavin_%26_Stacey

However, if you know what I mean, Gavin and Stacey will need no introduction. And you can almost certainly hear Nessa greeting others in her delightfully rough Welsh accent seasoned with barely concealed condescension. By the way, this show made me start learning Welsh. I bought a book and started to learn it, but sadly, life had other ideas and nipped my enthusiasm in the bud. All I can remember now is: Dw i'n hoffi coffi. This is pretty much the sum total of my Welsh — which, coincidentally, is not unlike Uncle Bryn's entire vocabulary.

The very first scene of this absolutely charming series ensures that you are immediately glued to the screen. The opening banter between Gavalar and Stacey hooks you from the off — and before you know it, you've burned through the entire series. And even though the core story is a love story wrapped in comedy and a bit of drama, or shall I say dramedy, the characters and how James Corden and Ruth Jones built up the whole story make it utterly impossible to tear yourself away. And why would you want to?

Those ups and downs, the unexpected twists and turns, and the constant banter draw you in immediately. The characters take you on a steeply rising and falling emotional rollercoaster, a humorous attempt to balance out cultural differences, and, quite heartbreakingly, emphasise what truly matters – love, family, and friendship. And those accents you can hear during the show – like the Essex or Estuary, the Welsh, London-influenced working class, and Southeast England – are music to your ears.

Although the main highlight of the show is Gavin and Stacey’s love story, there are several other side tracks that make you chortle uncontrollably. Nessa and Smithy's gloriously messy on-again-off-again entanglement, held together by equal parts attraction and mutual exasperation, Mick and Pam’s wonderfully embarrassing displays of affection, Uncle Bryn and his nephew’s shady boat trip that none of them are willing to talk about, or Peter and Dawn’s incessant bickering, which unfailingly descends into gloriously awkward territory.

Quite simply, one of the finest pieces of comedy gold British television has ever produced.

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