Re-occurin'

So "Gavin and Stacey" has returned to our screens. Just watched episode one of the new series on i-Player. I got hooked towards the end of the second series a year ago, and bought both series on DVD. Brilliant. I love the tragedy-comedy bit, the excellent acting, neat music, and, of course, setting half of it in Barry was just magic. And even Gavin's family home, supposedy in Essex, is actually in Dinas Powys.

Well, what's the verdict on this, the first episode of the new, and we're told, the last series. Since the last series the boys have made a rather disastrous TV show on their own, and a film that I don't know much about, but whose title was something about vampire lesbians... er, yes. The characters are still good, and there are some new ones - I don't think we met Smithy's narcoleptic/alcoholic mother before. They have all come together for the baptism of Smithy n Nessa's baby, Neil Noel Edmund, but, I don't know, it didn't seem quite the same. Whether it's just that two series were enough, or that what's happened since the second series kind of interfered with my enjoyment of this one, I don't know...

But then the whole thing was redeemed - I was just about to turn off the computer when I saw that you can watch last year's achingly painful and wonderful Christmas episode on i-Player too. Every family Christmas is wrapped up in this gem. I particularly love the embarrassing moments! It's all so accurately stolen from life for our disturbance and delight. Plenty to laugh at, loads to think about, and some to cry about. A Fr M all time great.