Gavin and Stacey - S2E7 'The Baby'

It’s so funny that you should point out that you thought Alison Steadman (Pam) was good at improv. Her background is that she was married to the film director, Mike Leigh, whose angle is that he allows the actors to improvise their parts from a given scenario. I would recommend that you watch Nuts in May and Abigail’s Party, both starring Steadman. She is a wonderful actress. Other fantastic Mike Leigh films are Secrets and Lies, Happy Go Lucky and Topsy Turvy.

When I first hear "Vanessa Shanessa Jenkins" everyone's middle name was rhyming with the first name with the prefix Sha. Blake Shalake, Elliott Shanelliott, Thomas Shatomas. Would always use full names 😂😂😂😂

I'm sure many people have said it before, but Alison Steadman, who plays Pam, is a great actress, having won an Olivier award for her work in theatre! She's done plenty of comedy TV work as well before this, so it wouldn't surprise at all if she's improvising some lines! Her real accent is very posh - maybe save looking it up until the end of Gavin and Stacey, when you might watch the documentary about it!

Mike and Jess' comments on - and reaction to - 'The Fishing Trip' scenes are perfect. I'll say no more...😯😂😉🤫

Love it.

Neil the baby

Think you guys would like Bad Education, you get to see Matthew Horne(Gavin) in a more comedic role.

So glad you said next is the Christmas special. I was thinking for ages please don't say series 3 next. You're now onto my favourite ever episode of g&s. Can't wait.

If you like girl smithy then you should watch two pints of lager and a packet of crisps - peak British humour! She is excellent in it x

jess you're doing a great job with not crying to this show. Pretty sure even the birth scene on peep show got to you Lol well done great reaction to this show

Now the 7 day torture of waiting for the next one 😪

Stacey is losing her marbles, but, personally, I don't think it's just homesick. There is a cultural point being referenced here, for me. The whole of series 2 has been Stacey experiencing hiraeth and slowly becoming an emotional wreck. Hiraeth is a Welsh word with a simple translation but also a far more complicated and not easily translated meaning. It is a word that describes a profound, sometimes unrealistic longing for a home, a place, even a time, or a person that is lost, they may never have in reality existed. An idealised memory. It is far deeper than simple homesickness. It is grief that gets into your bones. It is the mother of all rose-tinted glasses and Stacey has it. Her entire identity is Barry Island and her heart is telling her she belongs there. She is irrational yes, bratty yes, but also deeply confused and quite lost. I should add, Gav is a cracking fella and my heart goes out to the poor bugger.

I get why Stacey has been so all over the place, I think her dad dying had a really big impact on her sense of security and attachment, and that fear she'll lose someone else is driving how she sustains relationships, as proven by how many times she got engaged.

I can't help but feel that everyone was a bit harsh on Stacey throughout this. Yes, she did come across as very childish and naive, but she's perfectly valid in how she feels. She was right to say that just because they were getting on better again, it doesn't mean that everything was alright again. He knew that the problems lied deeper than just his parents house, but he still refused to acknowledge the problem head on. He also offered to move to Barry when it was too late. He wouldn't even hear of a compromise before then. Even her own family just expected her to suck it up and get on with it. Don't get me wrong, both of them could've handled it better, but that's just my perspective. Because she was right, nothing had really changed for him, but he couldn't see that. I've absolutely loved rewatching this though. Can't wait for you to see the Christmas special!

Bryn’s one of best characters ever created, absolutely love him

Rewatching this, it seems like people really end up not liking Stacey in this season because her attitude/decisions just seem so illogical, and dare I say it... a bit poorly written. I can't imagine that they intended people to dislike her, but it's the only logical reaction with how she's written throughout this season. I don't remember getting this feeling the first time around (I was a lot younger then), but seeing you guys react to her character made me see it more I think they needed to have some conflict in there so threw in the homesick storyline, which is fair enough — it would have been uneventful (and unrealistic) for it to all be plain sailing after the wedding. But her whole attitude just doesn't make sense — even when Gavalahhhh offers to move to Cardiff or even Barry for her she's still not happy. Mick and Pam did absolutely everything that they could for her the entire time, even splashing £20k+ on a house deposit in this episode. She complains about being bored all day, but doesn't appear to want to get a job or do anything at all, even when Pam invites her. Gavin is "perfect" but she doesn't want to live in Essex, okay fair enough... but she also doesn't want Gavin to move to Barry. I can't remember if it was Mike or Jess who said it in this ep, but we really need that Peep Show inner dialogue sometimes to understand what's going on inside her head

Great reaction as per. Please watch the correct christmas special next! 2008 one

I know Ricky bagged on Embrace but I LOVE THIS SONG. The drop into the instrumentation, brilliant song

Stacey in this season has been genuinely unbearable and just an awful person

I can't cope with one of these a week, I need to binge 😂

I so wish I could save the Christmas special until actually around Christmas time but ain't going to be any way I can just stop watching these reactions haha

Another great reaction! Don’t forget the Xmas special before moving on to series 3. In my opinion it’s one of the best!

Will we ever find out how Barry got his own island?

honestly it's so sweet to me that the one time we see Mick stress out at all is here when he's worried Smithy is going to miss it he might already have a mum and dad but he's 100% Mick and Pam's son too :')

Just had the sudden realisation that I probably picked up saying immense from Ness. Damn

Side note but Dave is one of my favourite characters. He plays an antagonist to Smithy but is still very likeable. Steffan Rodhri is great.

I'd say the same. It wouldn't work. Him and his family look down on Barry, have diminished it more than once. So strange to see her bashed when he only said that as a last resort, and she knows that. Before she walked through the door, Pam was making efforts to prepare the idea that she is moving back in. She then mentions it twice again. We know Pam is overbearing, which is a reason we like Mick in how he offsets that. I'm with her on this. Even if it looks like she doesn't know what she wants, I would also say the same about Gavin. Do you really want to move somewhere you dislike? Am I really that worth it, because it sounded impossible before. I had a good friend who is a snob, and it's difficult, really difficult, to the point it got between us. And it does and would here too

I remember watching this episode with the family. My niece who was 13 at the time really did not like Stacey, particularly her behaviour in this episode. Her words were "I don't like her, she's a brat". I think if even a girl of that age can see it, it says a lot. I don't dislike Stacey, but I agreed with my niece's assessment, as I am sure many men can relate to having their heart put through the ringer by a woman who cannot work out what they want.

Next one please :) soon soon soon 😂😂

Vanessa Shanessa is what a magician says to make things disappear

Alison Steadman (Pam) is a freaking national treasure. I first saw her in a play called Abigails Party when I was a kid, and then in a wonderful film called Nuts in May, which is a masterclass in 'The Office' style awkwardness and second hand embarrassment. I still quote it weekly almost 30 years later. Well worth a watch.

They nailed it with that Welsh police officer, they are a different breed of helpful (for visitors) can't speak on how it is to live there.

Sheridan Smith has her own show called "Two pints of lager and a packet of crisp", I think you two would enjoy it

Oooooh, Neil, the baby.

Tidyyyyy 😂

Alison Steadman (Pam) has had the reputation of being a great actress, especially with comedy since the seventies when she was in a TV play called "Abigail's party" and knocked it out the park. I've never seen her less than brilliant.

Aww, this is my 2nd favourite show, I am scottish so obviously still game is my number 1 lol. When Mike started crying, it made me cry and then I noticed jess was too and I was even worse lol. You 2 are absolutely awesome and you can feel the love you's have for each other and its amazing. ❤️

Worthy noting from the Christmas special on the actor who plays Neil the baby is the same actor throughout

The woman at the toll booth is the biggest villain in TV history 😡

Hearing that song by Embrace when they get to the hospital gets me EVERY time 😭

Stacey in this is a typical woman not making sense, but as you get older you just learn to ignore them and stop trying to please them, they either come round or they don't.

Pam was calling mick a sarky bastard. prenounced simply as SAR-KEY is what we call someone when they are sarcastically mocking you.. If someone is sarcastically mocking you or being "snide". You might respond by saying. 'Enough with that sarky attitude'. Or 'Don't be a sarky bastard' very British.

My mate called Oscar Hartland plays Neil the Baby from series 3 onwards 😅

FYI Pam called Mick “a right sarky (sarcastic) bastard (bastard)”

So one of the babies who plays 'the baby' is the same boy throughout until the finish.

Woop woop, just fo oshed work, 8 days off, and supriseeeee G&S soon as I'm home lol awesome 😎

Morning, always a great start to the day.

I just met Rudi (Sheridan smith) at Doncaster station last week on the way to the NTA’s. Lovely lady

Me first