5:33PM, Nov 26, 2009
Gavin & Stacey's meteoric rise from cult favourite to mainstream comedy is only a good thing in our opinion.
Provided, that is, that they don't lose the quirky sense of humour and deeply moving quality that makes this series so watchable.
Thankfully, the Christmas special is well up to scratch.
The stand alone episode sees the Wests and Shipmans gather in Billaricay for Christmas Day and one of Mick's famous turkey dinners.
Smithy can't wait for his first Christmas as a dad, but doesn't count on Dave Coaches tagging along and playing happy families with Nessa. Jason and Bryn, meanwhile, have a heart-to-heart about that fishing trip and Gavin and Stacey's revelation to Pam and Smithy doesn't quite turn out to be the Christmas present they were expecting.
Meanwhile, the revelation about Mick and Pam's bedroom preferences isn't something we were expecting.
As usual, the show perfectly mixes laugh-out-loud humour with the surreal and genuinely poignant, while avoiding the temptation to be overly slushy just because it's Christmas.
Highlights include Smithy and Gav's genius rendition of Do They Know It's Christmas: "I thought it was midgure... like midgure cheddar," and Bryn's discovery of a new Chrimbo tipple: "You think you've tried it all - but then they come up with this. Mint Baileys, what will they come up with next?"
But the standout moment has to be the inevitable festive family showdown, Nessa-style: "Oh, Pam, you wanna make something of it? I'll see you outside - no problem."
There are very few sitcoms that can convincingly make you laugh and cry in one episode, but Gavin & Stacey does it beautifully. Moreover, it's fantastic to see this standout series finally getting the recognition it deserves.
In the immortal words of Nessa: "Oh, Merry Christmas."
Find out when Gavin & Stacey is showing on TV.
