Caitlin Clifford
Good news, Gavin and Stacey is back! The iconic British sitcom from James Cordon and Ruth Jones returns to our screens for the final time Christmas Day 2024.
There was initially some confusion surrounding the announcement as the news was leaked before the creators were officially ready – in a move Jones has since described as ‘mean’ – leading to them being forced to deny it temporarily. But it’s now official, with Stacey actress, Joanna Page, describing it as a ‘dream.’
In celebration of the news, and as excitement ramps up, this article will explore the surprisingly complicated timeline of the beloved series…
Season One (released May – June 2007)
We can assume the series itself is situated within 2007. Mick remarks in episode three that 6th April is eight weeks away, and the earlier episodes seem to be within the couple of weeks beforehand. However, the couple have been together since late 2006 as they have been talking for six months when the show begins. And with the season finale occurring on 6th April, which would have been Stacey’s late father’s 50th birthday, we know that season one was set in the early months of 2007, corresponding with the release dates.
Stats for nerds:
E1 ~ not apparent within itself when this is set, simply stating that they’ve been talking on the phone for six months. However, as this episode is likely within a week or so of E3, it is most likely a weekend in late January 2007 (Friday 26th – Sunday 28th) or the first weekend of February (Friday 2nd – Sunday 4th). Originally aired 13th May 2007.
E2 ~ likely less than a week since E1 as Smithy describes himself as ‘from the weekend’ to Nessa in a bid to help her remember him, and then remarks that Gavin has ‘just come bloody back’ from Barry, so likely in the weeks commencing Monday 29th January or Monday 5th February, and covering three days. Also originally aired 13th May 2007.
E3 ~ likely within a few days of, potentially even the same one as, the end of E2 as they tell their families about the engagement. This happens in the week leading up to the party, which is on Saturday 10th February 2007 as it is eight weeks before the wedding. Originally aired 20th May 2007.
E4 ~ set six weeks from the wedding and covering three days (Friday 23rd – Sunday 25th February). Originally aired 27th May 2007.
E5 ~ a week before the wedding, likely the Friday-Saturday as they are at work one day then at home the next, meaning it is most probably Friday 30th – Saturday 31st March 2007. Originally aired 3rd June 2007.
E6 ~ the day of the wedding, Friday 6th April 2007, confirmed by a shot of the seating plan which has the date on it. Originally aired 10th June 2007.
So far, seems fairly straightforward. However, that changes in season 2.
Season Two (released March – April 2008)
Being released in 2008, a year after the first series, it seems at times the show’s creators may have forgotten that the show was still meant to be set in 2007, considering the first episode of the series is set just ’22 days’ after the finale of the previous one.
And it was not just the year that was muddled, but also Nessa’s pregnancy dates.
Some fans have speculated that this was done purposefully as a way of mocking other shows which have made similar blunders.
Perhaps the most famous example; in Friends, Rachel’s pregnancy lasts about 15 months (for those who have forgotten, pregnancies are meant to last nine), with her having fallen pregnant in the April before Monica and Chandler’s wedding, but not giving birth till the summer a year later.
Stats for nerds:
(it ought to have been set in 2007, but was often set in 2008 by the show’s mistake)
E1 ~ 22 days after the wedding, so Saturday 28th April 2007 (or Monday 28th April 2008). Originally aired 16th March 2008.
E2 ~ picks up immediately where the previous episode ended and also covers the day after, so Saturday 28th – Sunday 29th April 2007 (or Monday 28th – Tuesday 29th April 2008). These last couple episodes fit the 2007 dates better, suggesting no mix-up. Also originally aired 16th March 2008.
E3 ~ set over a couple of days; they go for a scan, assumedly the 12-week scan, which according to the NHS website, occurs between 10 and 14 weeks. In S1E4, Nessa revealed to Stacy that she was ‘late,’ and that she is usually ‘regular like clockwork, every fourth Wednesday since I was nine.’ As pregnancies are counted from the first day of the last period, and Nessa’s would have been 24th January 2007, this means it ought not to be later than Wednesday 2nd May 2007. Additionally, Mick says Smithy has had a rough couple of weeks of trying to win Lucy back, with it suggested he told her about Nessa the same as the previous episode, suggesting it was indeed set early May. Originally aired 23rd March 2008.
E4 ~ must be fairly soon after the previous episode as Smithy is showing Dawn and Pete the sonogram for the first time, so likely early May, and set across a couple of days. Originally aired 30th March 2008.
E5 ~ it is Gwen’s birthday (and the day before), and has been ‘over a month’ since the last episode, so could be June; but as Nessa is ‘six months pregnant,’ it is more likely to be July. Originally aired 6th April 2008.
E6 ~ set across just a day, Jason is still at Gwen’s having planned to stay ‘a couple of weeks,’ meaning it’s been just under a fortnight since the previous episode as he is planning to leave within a couple of days, so likely late July / early August. Originally aired 13th April 2008.
E7 ~ it has been ‘four weeks’ since E5, so it is likely August. Additionally, in the 2019 Christmas Special, they reveal that Neil the Baby was born in August. However, considering Nessa’s last period was in late January, the baby’s due date would have been Tuesday 30th October 2007 (or Thursday 20th October 2008), so when they revealed that she was a month early, that should have been late September. Additionally, to add to the confusion, while the year ought to still have been 2007, the 2019 Christmas Special incorrectly suggests she gave birth in 2008. Originally aired 20th April 2008.
Christmas Special 2008
As with season two, it seems the year was confused. Regardless of whether it was 2007 (as it should have been) or 2008 (as it seemed to end up being), it began on Christmas Eve (originally airing on 24 December 2008) and ended on Christmas Day.
Season Three (released November 2009 – January 2010)
This season also suffered (but not in quality) from the confusion of which year it was meant to be set in.
It opens on Gavin’s first day at work, which was supposedly the 5th January. This was a Saturday in 2008, whereas 2009 was a Monday, meaning Jones and Corden likely set it in 2009 (however it ought to have been 2008).
The season then takes place across the following months, finishing on Nessa and Dave’s wedding day in June, although also giving a brief glimpse of the main characters’ lives six months after that.
Stats for nerds:
(it ought to have been set in 2008, but was often set in 2009 by the show’s mistake)
E1 ~ set on Gavin’s first day of work, which is meant to be 5th January, until the following Sunday, so the dates were either Saturday 5th – Sunday 6th/13th 2008, or Monday 5th – Sunday 11th 2009. Originally aired 26th November 2009.
E2 ~ unclear exactly when it is set, but seems to be relatively soon after the last episode as Stacey applies for her first job back in Barry; and it covers Friday – Saturday morning when Nessa and Smithy famously wake up in bed together. Originally aired 3rd December 2009.
E3 ~ after finding out she’s not pregnant, Stacey reveals she stopped taking the pill after the wedding, and it’s been ‘over a year’ since then, so we are past 6th April. However, Gavin remarking it was only their ‘first try’ after deciding to try and get pregnant in January suggests it hasn’t been three months since the first episode of the season, leaving room for speculation about exactly when this episode is set. Originally aired 10th December 2009.
E4 ~ fairly soon after the last one as Stacey is still apologising for not having told Gavin that she was not on the pill, although not clear exactly how long it’s been, but if we’re assuming the last one was April, then this is likely to be also. Originally aired 17th December 2009.
E5 ~ it is a bank holiday and there are three weeks till the finale, so it ought to be Monday 26th May 2008 (or Monday 25th May 2009). Originally aired 25th December 2009.
E6 ~ Nessa and Dave’s wedding (although Dave won’t go through with it following Smithy’s objection) is Friday 13th June 2008 (or Saturday 13th June 2009). Despite this, six months later, when it ought to have been winter, they all sit happily near the beach as though it’s still summer, again creating some confusion amongst fans. Originally aired 1st January 2010.
Christmas Special 2019
After a decade away, Gavin and Stacey returned to our screens.
Opening with a sweet tribute to the season three finale, where they sit in Barry and Essex, the close of the episode also paralleled the previous Christmas special. In the 2008 special, after Dave proposed to Nessa, Smithy asked Nessa not to marry him. Then in 2019, after hearing of Smithy’s plans to propose to Sonia, Nessa tells him she loves him and proposes, leaving the UK on one of the biggest TV cliffhangers in years!
Evidently meant to be set in 2019, as they remark they alternate Christmases, with the Shipmans hosting the previous year and the Wests before that in 2017. However, as the 2008 Christmas Special should have been set in 2008, this should have been set in 2018, but the mistakes made over a decade earlier resulted in this one being set in the wrong year too.
Additionally, this special claims that Neil the Baby will turn 12 the following August, when he should be turning 13 in 2020.
Regardless of whether it was 2018 (as it should have been) or 2019 (as it ended up being), it began on 23 December and ended with Nessa’s iconic proposal on Christmas Day.
Christmas Special 2024
Understandably, the internet went wild when Jones and Corden released the news via their social medias back in May 2024.
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Featured image courtesy of Anna on Flickr. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.
