Alison Steadman loves it when fans tell her they admire her work on Gavin & Stacey because it helps ease her depression about the state of the world.
The 76-year-old actress played party-loving Pam Shipman in the sitcom 16 years ago and in her latest show, Alison and Larry: Billericay to Barry, she teams up with her husband from the series, 75-year-old Larry Lamb – who played Michael Shipman – to retrace their characters’ journeys.
She told Yours magazine how much she and Larry enjoyed being recognised by the likeable show Gavin and Stacey while filming the new Gold show: “We love it. Every time you see the news it’s depressing and sometimes I cry when I see the reports.”
“It’s nice when you walk down the street and people come up to you smiling and say, ‘I love your show. We watch it every year as a family.’
“They are so full of joy and you think, ‘Yes! This is what we need in life!'”
Alison, who also starred in Boomers and Pride and Prejudice, travels 210 miles in an electric car with Larry in her Gold show from her characters’ home in Billericay, Essex, to Barry Island, where Nessa, Uncle Bryn and Stacey lived.
In the three-part series, which airs on Mondays at 8pm, they reminisce about their time filming the show – co-written by 45-year-old James Corden and 56-year-old Ruth Jones – meet former cast members, ride bumper cars and go for a cold-water swim in the Cotswolds.
Although half of Gavin and Stacey is set in Essex, Alison admitted: “I’ve never been to Billericay.
“We met the mayor and he took us to a beautiful park. We were shown a plaque that will be placed in front of a tree that bears (my and Larry’s names) and is a tribute to ‘Gavin and Stacey.'”
