Gavin & Stacey star says 'I just knew' as filming for final episode concludes (original) (raw)

Alison Steadman, the star of Gavin & Stacey, has opened up on what it was like to film for the show's upcoming Christmas special. Appearing on the most recent episode of Woman's Hour, which was aired on BBC Radio Four on Wednesday, October 9, the English actress said that there were "many tears" as they concluded filming for the comedy show.

After filming for over a month, the BBC officially confirmed that filming for the last-ever episode of Gavin & Stacey was complete. The cast have previously been spotted saying a fond farewell to iconic filming locations including Trinity Street and Dinas Powys, which is where all the Essex scenes are filmed, but they have all now played their characters for the final time. You can read more about this story here.

During the Woman's Hour episode, Alison explained how she was fascinated by acting and people from an early age. Over the years, she has become one of the UK's best loved actors, appearing as Candice Marie in Nuts in May, Beverly in Abigail's Party, Mrs Bennett in Pride and Prejudice and the loveable Pamela 'Pam' Shipman in Gavin & Stacey.

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The star, who has won an Olivier Award for The Rise and Fall of Little Voice and a National Society of Film Critic Award, joined the radio show's presenter Nuala McGovern to discuss some of her most iconic roles as well as her latest memoir, Out of Character. For the latest TV & Showbiz news, sign up to our newsletter.

When asked if she ever watched her work back, she said: "Not really. Occasionally, I watch things but I'm always so critical of myself when I watch myself on screen. And I'm thinking to myself, 'why didn't I do this? Or, why did I wear that?' Or, 'it could have been more this'.

"And so, sometimes it's just easier to let it go. But I do have a great fondness for Abigail’s Party and Nuts in May, because I loved playing that character, developing that character and being down in Dorset for weeks with Roger Sloman and Mike Leigh, all the stories together. It was the happiest eight weeks of my life."

She was also asked about her most recent work, namely her work on Gavin & Stacey. Since 2007, the show has garnered the love of the nation as it shows the ups and downs of the relationship between main characters Gavin and Stacey, as well as their lives with their family and friends in Billericay in Essex and Barry in Vale of Glamorgan.

Alison Steadman as Pam with her onscreen husband Mick, who is played by English actor Larry Lamb during the second series of the show in 2008 (Image: Alamy Stock Photo)

For avid fans of the show, Pam will fondly be remembered as the fake vegetarian, who dotes on her only son Gavin, who is played by Mathew Horne, and her husband Mick, who is played by Larry Lamb. When asked what the role of Pamela meant to her, Alison said: "We’ve literally just finished filming - we finished on Monday night [October 7].

"There were many tears - I have to say, when we finished, because we are all so close and the filming has all been really wonderful. It really has. Each character we played - me and Larry Lamb playing Mick and Pam, it’s been a real experience over 17 years from when we did the first series. It can't get better than that. It has to go down as one of my favourite, fun jobs."

When asked if she initially knew it would be a special show and beloved by many, she replied: "I knew when I was sent the first script - I was just sent one episode, and I started to read it. And when I read the first scene with Pam and her 'little prince', her son, I just knew that she was going to be brilliant.

"And of course, I knew Ruth [Jones] and James [Corden] as I was in Fat Friends with them. It's the scene where she has the cucumbers on her eyes and her son asks her, 'you o'right mum?', and she says 'no, I’m not actually'.

"And she says, 'I’ve just seen a programme where these little badgers die and the mother's crying'. And he says, 'mum, I don’t think badgers cry' and she says, 'I know what I saw'. Straight away I thought, this is brilliant." She added: "There have been some classic moments, there really has, it's been great."

You can listen to the recent episode of BBC Sounds Woman's Hour and more here.

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