A Gavin & Stacey star has reportedly met with show bosses to discuss a spin-off series that will “double the BBC’s money” following the record-breaking festive finale.
The conclusion to the much-loved series, created by James Corden and Ruth Jones, became the UK’s most-watched scripted show across all broadcasters and streamers since records began in 2002, when it aired on Christmas Day last year.
The sitcom, which follows the chaotic yet heartwarming lives of the two families belonging to Gavin and Stacey Shipman (Joanna Page and Mathew Horne), saw 12.3 million viewers tune in on Christmas Day alone, beating the 2019 special and making it the biggest Christmas Day overnight ratings since 2008.
Larry Lamb, who played Gavin’s father Mick Shipman in the show, has reportedly pushed producers to “put it in the cinema” following the series’ most recent success, per the Daily Star.
The actor is said to have urged BBC boss Tim Davie to turn the Gavin & Stacey reboot into a film, telling him the broadcaster would double their profits.
“You’d make all the money over again,” the actor said, admitting he wasn’t certain if Davie was keen on the idea. “Well, he’s the boss of the BBC. You don’t give the game away, do you?” he said.
“From the look on his face it was either: ‘That's not a bad idea,’ or: ‘I wish these people would stop trying to do my job for me. They can barely do their own.’''
The Independent has contacted the BBC for comment.
It comes after the actor told Radio Times last November that he’s optimistic the BBC could commission further Gavin & Stacey content in the future.
“Never say never,” he said. “Having waited all those years, answering people's questions about if there's ever going to be another one and then having to answer the same question when we'd done another one, I was surprised but not shocked.
“And I don't think the BBC will ever kill the goose that laid the golden egg,” he added. “The point is, we just put together the most extraordinary, grand finale to the best part of 20 years of work. Who knows?”
The show’s creators and co-stars Corden and Jones said they were “overwhelmed” by the response to the finale after it aired last December.
“Gavin & Stacey really does belong to the audience and we are beyond thrilled that so many people enjoyed watching it this Christmas,” they said.
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