James Corden Shares His Thoughts on His Least Liked Episode of ‘Gavin & Stacey’
James Corden expressed candid views this afternoon about his least favorite episode of the beloved series Gavin & Stacey during the BBC Comedy Festival.
“It’s a very, very, very bad half hour,” Corden remarked about Season 1, Episode 2 of the sitcom. “It’s an awful episode.”
Corden elaborated on the reasons behind his harsh assessment. He and co-creator Ruth Jones found themselves in a difficult position after having Gavin propose to Stacey at the end of the first episode. “It had this very romantic end, so you can’t do another romantic proposal [in the next one],” he explained.
In Episode 2, a significant misunderstanding over the phone prompts Gavin to drive to Wales to mend his relationship. At the time, Corden and Jones did not realize that Gavin & Stacey was “not a sitcom but closer to a comedy drama.” Corden noted, “We were conscious of this half-hour comedy thing and I don’t think we trusted that actually the characters will be the thing that will be funny. We tried to instead say we needed something funny in the scenes, so we had Gavin jump the barriers when proposing, and be covered in lasers. In our head, we were making a sitcom, but we weren’t; we were making a character-driven story.”
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Joining Corden, Jones humorously pointed out that there is “very little Nessa” in Season 1, Episode 2, contributing to its shortcomings.
However, Corden noted that the episode is redeemed by the introduction of iconic characters Dawn and Pete, portrayed by Julia Davies and Adrian Scarborough. “They are possibly our greatest creation,” he stated, alongside Pam, played by Alison Steadman.
During his appearance at the festival, Corden passionately advocated for comedy commissioners to take greater risks and to consider double-season orders for new shows. “How do platforms today crack comedy?” he questioned. “I feel like the only way is to commission two series and say, ‘We believe in this, and it’s going to take time and you can’t rely on overnight ratings.’ There is an element of ownership and discovery to comedy that we, the audience, want to find and share with our friends.”
Reflecting on the production of Gavin & Stacey, Corden noted that the series was granted a double-season order before its premiere, a practice he questioned in today’s landscape. “They said it doesn’t matter how many people watch this; we believe in it and want to commission it again,” he recalled, referring to the BBC’s approach. He emphasized the need for commissioners to treat comedy differently, allowing room for audience engagement rather than immediate results.
Corden acknowledged the element of luck involved in success, stating, “If Gavin & Stacey came six months earlier or later, there’s a chance it doesn’t work. We are so programmed to think about success, but success is about timing, mood, culture, and there is such an element of luck in it.”
The show’s finale was a major success, becoming the most-watched TV event in the UK for 2024, concluding on Christmas Day to an audience exceeding 20 million viewers.
Since their time at the BBC, Corden and Jones have transitioned to Apple TV with their new series, The Choir, which is set to begin filming this year. The show will feature them as brother and sister Ben and Lisa, who reunite after Ben returns home from abroad to a quiet English town.
The duo spoke at the BBC Comedy Festival shortly before a panel featuring notable British comedy commissioners and the writers of Amandaland.
