Gavin & Stacey is a British sitcom created, written by and starring James Corden and Ruth Jones about two families: one from Billericay in Essex, and the other from Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Mathew Horne and Joanna Page play the eponymous characters Gavin and Stacey, while Corden and Jones star as their respective friends Smithy and Nessa.

It returned for a second series of seven episodes in March 2008, before being transferred to BBC One for a Christmas Eve special, due to the show's growing mainstream popularity.

The characters of Gavin and Stacey provide the emotional core of the story, focusing on the situations that arise when their relationship brings their two different families together.

As a result, episodes often focus on the key events in life that bring wider families and close friends together such as weddings, christenings, birthday parties and Christmases.

The surnames of well-known English serial killers were used for most of the main characters – Harold Shipman, Fred West and Peter Sutcliffe.

[17][18] The initial series begins with the lives of the title characters, Gavin Shipman (Mathew Horne) and Stacey West (Joanna Page).

The two, along with their respective best friends Neil "Smithy" Smith (James Corden) and Nessa Jenkins (Ruth Jones), meet for the first time in Leicester Square in London.

The in-laws meet again at the Shipmans' house in Essex, where Nessa has some shocking revelations – especially for Smithy, who is the last to learn that she is pregnant with his baby, and although he makes it clear that he thoroughly dislikes the woman, he is generally civil and supportive towards her about their child.

The couple try to overcome their problem by looking for an apartment or house in Essex, but Stacey is still dissatisfied and is considering moving back to South Wales to be with her family.

In the final episode of the series, Stacey removes her wedding ring, much to the upset of Gavin, but this is interrupted by the news of Nessa unexpectedly going into labour a month early.

Gavin becomes depressed and preoccupied with this issue, and in an attempt to cheer him up, Pam, Mick and Smithy arrange a surprise trip to Barry beach on a sunny bank holiday.

Smithy, too, continues to commit to his fatherly role, making the journey to Barry Island on at least alternate weekends to see a now 11-year-old Neil.

Corden claims to have been inspired by the story of his own real life best friend Gavin, who met his wife over the phone at work, and arranged to meet.

[21] The roles of Gavin and Stacey were cast through an auditioning process, but were almost immediately given to Mathew Horne and Joanna Page on the strength of their chemistry together.

Additionally, Corden had appeared with Adrian Scarborough in the Alan Bennett-penned play and film, The History Boys, which led to him being cast in the role of Pete.

The three series were shot largely in Cardiff (which acted as parts of Billericay) and in Barry and the surrounding area, including Dinas Powys, Sully and Penarth.

Gavin's house (address "23 Limetree Avenue") was set in Billericay but was actually filmed on location in Laburnum Way, Dinas Powys in Wales.

"[25] Corden and Jones completed the final draft of the Christmas Special by September 2008, although they ruled out writing the third series at the time due to pressures of other work, and repeating the wish not to produce a sub-standard script.

[32] On 3 May 2024, Corden announced via his social media channels that he and Jones had completed writing the final episode of the show, to air on Christmas Day 2024 on BBC One.

James Corden and Ruth Jones won Best Male and Female Comedy Newcomer respectively, with fellow cast members Mathew Horne and Joanna Page having also been nominated in the same categories.

[46] For Red Nose Day 2009 on 13–14 March, the main telethon event for Comic Relief, a second sketch was aired where James Corden, in character as Smithy, has a chance encounter with the England national football team and proceeds to give them some advice on tactics and teamwork.

There have been two charity episodes depicted as a "spin-off" of Gavin & Stacey called Smithy, starring James Corden as the title character.

For Sport Relief 2010 on 19 March 2010, Corden appeared again as Smithy in a long sketch about coaching, where he meets England footballers such as David Beckham, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand.

As he jokes with the audience, he declares he can't accept the award and goes on to rant at the assembled sporting stars for having 'lost their way' and focusing on celebrity, ending on a rousing appeal to get back to basics, leaving hosts Sue Barker and Gary Lineker in mock tears.

As a backstory, sketches are shown of how Smithy coached Tom Daley, Andrew Flintoff, Andy Murray, Jenson Button, David Beckham and the Manchester United team.

There was another episode of Smithy for the 2011 Comic Relief appeal guest starring Lenny Henry, Richard Curtis, George Michael, Dermot O'Leary, JLS (Aston Merrygold, Marvin Humes, Oritsé Williams and JB Gill), Davina McCall, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, Sebastian Coe, Gordon Brown, Robert Winston, Roger Lloyd-Pack, Rio Ferdinand, Keira Knightley, Richard Madeley, Clare Balding, Tom Daley, Justin Bieber and surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.

Also screened in Australia (Seven Network, 7TWO, ABC2 and UK-TV), Belgium/Flanders (Acht), Israel (HOT V.O.D and Yes Stars Comedy), Ireland (RTÉ Two), in The Netherlands (RTL 8), Iceland (Stöð 2), New Zealand (TV ONE), Portugal (RTP2), Sweden (SVT) and Spain/Catalonia (3XL).

[51] At the time, both Corden and Jones were reportedly acting as executive producers of the ABC version, while interviewing other people for the job of writing the adaptation.

[52] In September 2009 it was reported that ABC had ordered a pilot for an American remake, to be written by Stacy Traub and Hayes Jackson, and produced by BBC Worldwide.