Spoilers

Turn it up Dave I love Chris Rea

This technically isn’t a film. It’s a feature length tv special, but I’m counting it as a Christmas film as we always make time to watch us & it makes you properly festive.

For those of you who don’t know about Gavin and Stacey it’s about a boy from Essex & a girl from Wales who work for companies that do business together. They decide to meet up after months of chatting to meet up & they hit it off & get married & then nearly divorced in the space of a year. But the real story is about there family & friends around them, especially Smithy and Nessa who hate each other but they have a fling & end up with a baby boy called Neil.

So that’s the point were up to when the Christmas special starts, hope that clears things up a bit.

The Christmas special is basically the end of Smithys life as he knows it. James Corden gives the tv performance of his life as his character not only has to come to terms with his girlfriend dumping him for having a kid with Nessa but his best friend Gavin has a new job in Cardiff so him & Stacey can move back to Wales & Nessa gets engaged to her boyfriend Dave. Also he’s missing his little boy who lives else on Barry Island, who doesn’t recognise him as his dad. It’s truly heart breaking but amazing.

There are so many moments in this which I will talk about, but this one is the best one of all. Hes driving home from work to do his Christmas shopping & band aid comes on the radio, at that exact moment Gavin at the m4 services calls him & they sing it down the phone to each other at full pelt, and then argue about presents, call each other nobs & then hang up & carry on there journeys. See when you write it like that it sounds Shit but let me assure you it’s not. It makes me properly festive. Midge Ure gets a shout like for being midure like mature cheeder. It’s just properly lush.

Mick & that Turkey oh God it’s a proper mission but he does spend all day doing it & doesn’t accept any help at all. It the fact that his night time reading is Nigella so he can get it right the next day.

Mick is the only normal person in the show really everyone else is so wacky that he is the constant. Which is brilliant.

Every time Gavin goes to make a speech or say something Pam his mum always automatically assumes that he h Stacey are having a baby, which is actually sad that they have so much trouble later on in the next series to have one.

The fight about where they are going to live when Gavin revels his new job is amazing. Smithy just assumes he’s going to stay in Essex & drive to Cardiff each day. & then kicks off. Pam though just goes for Stacey saying she’s a witch. But Dawn has the line of the scene when Pam’s arguing with Nessa & says she will support her all the way & then screams punch her in the face. But as it’s all calming down Pete punches Dave full on in the face & walks out. & then had to come back 5mins later to take home his turkey for Christmas to cook.

Its also then the fact the the following day, while they are watching Noels Christmas presents show (hes brought the boy a bike!!!!) is that his mum who he brought round wakes up behind the bar & scares the crap out of everyone. Bryn talks to her like shes in a Coma like trance. Its one of those you need to watch it to realise how funny it is.

Bless uncle Bryn, & Gwen for that matter its their first christmas our of Wales. They should have brought Dorris (bless her) she was twatted and pissed by noon on christmas eve. her words not mine. Bryn turns up armed with mistletoe & who does he meet at the door, his nephew Jason. Im glad we never find out about the fishing trip, but everytime we always get so close to knowing what happened. I know James Corden says he doesnt even know what happened as they have never written it.

His Sex & the City obsession is just brilliant. its the fact they all think hes gone for a kip, but no hes watching the film haha, yep thats me on christmas, or any day of the year for that matter.

Smithy has 3 christmas dinners that my man!!!

Smithy has the best present wrapping technique, use tin foil. no need for sellotape, you save money, and you can use it to put your left over turkey in. Done, Romeo Done!

The whole present giving too, is so what eveyone does or knows someone that does. Someone lays out the gifts, you take it in turns. One persons been stingy ans gotten you all the same thing (in this case Nessa Dave & Neil the baby) get each person one chocolate from a box of celebrations. Big presents, little presents, big little present, something that everyone wants to use & look at which steels the show. Awkward silences. yep each christmas is like that.

& then the evening ends with you all playing board games, getting over your arguments all having a drink & a sing song. (while Smithy asks Nessa to not marry Dave, despite nto wanting to marry her himself).

I think the reason why this is a christmas classic in our house & probably most peoples in the UK is because everyone can relate to it at some stage of the episode. It really does make you feel ready for christmas & that you should be grateful for your family.

Merry Christmas everyone