Gavin and Stacey pulled in 12.3 million viewers with its Christmas special, as the BBC show penned by James Corden and Ruth Jones bowed out in style after 18 years – but there could already be a new pretender to the comedy throne.
Here We Go, currently airing on Friday nights on BBC One, made a quiet debut in 2022 – after a pilot called Pandemonium in 2020 – and has been woo-ing every generation of telly fan since with its relatable tales of chaotic family life.
Its third series, branded ‘genius’ and a ‘hidden gem’ by comedy fans, is getting just shy of a million viewers per episode, with previous series commanding up to 1.7 on the BBC iPlayer, with many now calling for a Christmas Day special episode.
Set in Bedford, which writer Tom Basden says ‘speaks to the whole country’, the ‘dom-com’ is filmed by camera-obsessed 15-year-old Sam and follows the lives of the Jessop family.
And there’s a very familiar face amongst the cast, with Alison Steadman, who famously plays Pam in Gavin and Stacey, appearing as grandmother Sue.
Basden told BBC Radio 5Live last month that he was able to persuade TV comedy legend Steadman, 78, to take on the role because it was first filmed in lockdown, when actors were twiddling their thumbs.
The cast also includes other big names, BAFTA winner Katherine Parkinson, who appeared in The IT Crowd and more recently starred as erotic novel writer Lizzie Vereker in Disney+’s adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s Rivals.
Parkinson plays recruitment consultant turned therapist Rachel, who’s wed to ex Olympic archer Paul, who’s now a policeman, played by Sex Education star and Ghosts co-writer Jim Howick.
Quiet hit Here We Go looks set to become the natural successor to Gavin and Stacey after the comedy favourite wrapped up for good last Christmas (Pictured: The cast of Here We Go)
Not Pam! British comedy legend Alison Steadman has become a fan favourite as Sue, the grandmother in ensemble comedy Here We Go
Fans tuning into the latest series are as hooked as ever. One commented: ‘Genius! Brilliant writing and acting. Waited forever for Series 3 and promised to watch it each week only to have binge-watched it all on day 1!’
Another added: ‘All 3 series [episodes] have been brilliant. Not enough episodes though. I’m gagging for more! Please do more!’
One penned: ‘Best show to come out in a while. Absolutely love it. One of those you can re-watch multiple times!’
A comedy fan questioned ‘How can the BBC get it so right with this, yet serve up rubbish like Mrs Brown’s Boys?’
Writer Basden, who cut his teeth in the Cambridge Footlights and plays Robin, told the BBC last month: ‘It’s about a family called the Jessop family who live in Bedford and are a very, very normal family who find themselves in a lot of weird and wonderful situations.’
Asked why he chose Bedford as the location for the sitcom, he told the broadcaster: ‘I thought Bedford was a really good location for a show that speaks to the whole country.
‘I wanted to set the show somewhere that just felt very traditionally English but not really known for being any one particular thing.
‘I didn’t want it to feel like it’s a show about London or a show about Manchester or something.’
Writer Tom Basden, right, plays Robin in the series, which first started as a pilot originally called Pandemonium in 2020…but has steadily won fans and a primetime slot
Following the finale of Gavin and Stacey at Christmas, via a feature-length festive conclusion, the BBC comedy will be grateful Here We Go is winning fans.
Gavin and Stacey, which debuted back in 2007 after being created by Corden and Jones, concluded with on/off lovers Smithy and Nessa finally declaring their love for one another and tying the knot, but not without a few hiccups along the way.
While the series is officially over, the sitcom’s creators are set to release a new book.
When Gavin Met Stacey and Everything in Between : A Story Of Love And Friendship will be published in the Autumn and share for the first time how the pair turned their little comedy into a full-on cultural phenomenon.
James, 46, and Ruth, 58, said following the announcement: ‘We’re so excited to be sharing the story behind the story of Gavin and Stacey’.
Alison Steadman as Pam in the Gavin and Stacey Christmas special – pictured with James Corden, left, and Rob Brydon, far right
One last hurrah: A book celebrating Gavin and Stacey will be published in October
‘The show has played a huge part in our twenty-five-year friendship and we hope this book will give readers a fresh insight into how it all came about.’
According to the publisher the book will feature never-before-heard stories and behind the scenes gossip and see James and Ruth recount the rejection, obstacles and challenges they faced on the way to giving birth to their beloved comedy creation and also explore their own real-life friendship.
Asked for the secret to the show’s success, James added: ‘Young people are now watching things at twice the speed that it was ever meant to be formatted at and you’re told speed is important. And here’s a show that ended 15 years ago, waited ten years to tell another hour of the story, and waited five more years to end it.
‘Actually maybe time and patience and care might be the answer for things to have longevity outside of what we consume on our phones.’
All episodes of Here We Go are on the BBC iPlayer, with series three episodes airing on Fridays at 9pm.
