Gavin & Stacey fans have been left shocked after hearing the real voice behind one of the show’s most-loved characters.
The hit BBC sitcom originally aired between 2007 and 2010, and returned in 2019 with a one-off festive special that ended on a cliffhanger when Ruth Jones’s character Nessa proposed to James Corden’s Smithy.
The show’s finale, which aired last month, became the most-watched programme on British television on Christmas Day with 12.5 million views, as viewers tuned into to see Smithy’s response. Corden admitted he’d wanted to “trick everyone” with the bait and switch storyline, which left fans on tenterhooks.
After the episode, viewers were treated to the documentary A Fond Farewell on Wednesday (1 January), which unpacked the show’s legacy with special appearances from its cast.
One of its stars, Alison Steadman, plays Essex-born Pam Shipman on the programme. The character is known for her distinctive accent, so viewers were left disoriented after Steadman spoke in her natural voice. Born in Liverpool, the star has barely any traces left of her hometown’s accent, instead speaking in an RP (received pronunciation) accent.
“I keep forgetting that Alison does not actually talk like Pam,” wrote one person on X/Twitter.
Another added: “It always s***s me up when the Gavin & Stacey cast have posher accents than in the show. I fully forget they’re real people.”
Although the show’s send-off was dubbed “perfect” by fans, viewers were quick to spot a continuity mistake during Mick Shipman’s touching speech to Smithy on his stag night.
The tear-jerking scene showed an emotional Mick describing Smithy as a second son, after he and his wife Pam struggled to conceive another child after having Gavin.
However, one fan pointed out on TikTok that, during the scene, Mick’s pint appeared to go from full to half-full and back to full again.
They captioned the post: “Who else noticed Mick’s pint?”
“I spotted it right away,” said one viewer, as another joked: “Mick showing he can still drink the younger blokes under the table.” A continuity error is a discrepancy in a scene or storyline that breaks the believability of the storyline. They can be subtle, like a character’s clothing being changed, or something disappearing from a table.
