‘We met and two minutes later we were kissing’ – how Gavin and Stacey became Britain’s most bang tidy TV couple

It’s a classic romcom story: Essex boy from Billericay meets Welsh girl from Barry, they declare their love in a coach station, he proposes in a train station before being dragged away by police and – with the help of a fake-vegetarian mum, a crackin’ friend who had a fling with John Prescott and a top-secret fishing trip – they win the hearts of the nation.

Gavin & Stacey was the 2007 love child of Ruth Jones and James Corden, following the ordinary couple played by Mathew Horne and Joanna Page. Their mates Nessa (Jones) and Smithy (Corden) became the “will they/won’t they?” relationship of the show – and Gavin’s parents, Pam (Alison Steadman) and Mick (Larry Lamb), were proof of everlasting love – but Gavin and Stacey were the pair we could all relate to. So much so that they are regularly voted one of Britain’s ultimate TV couples.

After three hit series, the final Christmas special was one of the most watched scripted TV shows of the century. And it still has a hold on people across the world: Margot Robbie recently declared the show her favourite, and recalled raving about it to Bette Midler in a restaurant – then sending Midler the DVD collection.

It has been nearly 20 years since the pilot, and Horne and Page are working together once again, on chatty food podcast Table for Four. Over Zoom, Page excitedly explains the “pinch, punch, first of the month” game she has just played with her kids. “It’s nice to hear you talking for once, Jo,” Horne says deadpan as he joins the call. “You need to come out of your shell a bit more.”

And with the first bit of ribbing over, they recall how they became so beloved.

Do you remember meeting for the first time?

JP: I had to go in and read with Mat. I was quite nervous because I knew he was the fella off Catherine Tate and I thought he would be quite cool. But he was really lovely and we clicked and did some scenes together.

MH: In one of the scenes we had to kiss. It was quite bold of them! You wouldn’t have that now – you’d have an intimacy coordinator.

JP: That is mad isn’t it? I’m just like: “Oh hi, I’m Jo, nice to meet you.” Then two minutes later, we’re kissing.

MH: But I was slightly nervous as well because I was aware that Jo went to Rada – a proper actor. Maybe the kissing broke the ice.

JP: I also remember you and the producer were talking about your Fred Perry T-shirts and I was thinking: “Oh God, he sounds a bit of a knob … I’m not even wearing the right clothes!”

MH: You immediately walked into toxic masculinity.

JP: I did. And then I was made to kiss you.

What do Gavin and Stacey love about each other?

JP: It was a massive big explosion of love at first. I don’t think you can explain that kind of chemistry. It’s instinctive. But also I think Gavin is very safe and secure. She doesn’t have her dad any more – she’s got Uncle Bryn who’s been looking out for her – and I think that stability of a safe, happy marriage is what Stacey was really looking for.

MH: The key thing is that the connection was purely emotional. It wasn’t a picture on Tinder. Or a physical meeting. It wasn’t seeing her in a bar. It was a connection over the phone. When they met, he’d almost already made the decision that this was the one. As human beings, we do strive for that.

What were your favourite romantic moments?

MH: I loved meeting on the island when you gave me the beer mat in the 2019 special. There was something really reassuring about it because we’d come back together after 10 years and it was a really intimate, tender moment – but on Barry promenade with thousands of people around at 1am.

JP: In the first years, I loved simple things like when they are just sitting and sharing a bag of chips. It’s very beautiful. I also loved it when they had a big argument and made up afterwards, like in the first series, when Gavin finds out Stacey’s been engaged five times before. She answers the door in pyjamas, and he’s like: “Was this something you were gonna tell me?” It’s really good fun doing those scenes – passionate, exciting, romantic and “Oh my God, what’s gonna happen?”

But, oh my gosh, a beautiful moment was when we come away from the doctor and think that we can’t have children.

MH: Really, really wonderful. It’s a storyline I think that has been important to a lot of couples. I hadn’t had children by that point, and I didn’t realise what it meant for people.

JP: It’s not until you do have children that you really understand how awful a situation that is to go through. I remember when they’re in the kitchen together and I was hugging you and then Stacey says: “It’s ever so sad, isn’t it?”

Is there anything you wish Gavin and Stacey did differently?

JP: I liked everything – I just wish we could have gone more into depth. But as the show was moving on, you had two families to deal with, and another big relationship. So, you know, you’ve got to share everything out.

When did you realise this was a love story for the ages?

JP: I have so many people coming up to me and saying: “We are the real-life Gavin and Stacey.” The show, when you think about it, is quite traditional. It’s just two normal families – well, aside from Nessa. But people from all walks of life have got into it because they’re just like: “I want a relationship like this; I want to meet the one.”

MH: When Anna Maxwell Martin came on [set] for a couple of days on the finale, she said to James that she can’t think of a better representation of love, friendship and family.

How romantic are you in real life?

MH: Incredibly. If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me. I mean, my romantic gestures are … I know this is an interview, but that’s quite a private thing, so, over to you, Jo.

JP: I’m incredibly romantic. Not in the way of giving loads of material things and sweeping you off your feet. But when I fall in love, I will give you everything. I’ll give my entire being! I just want to talk and get everything out of you and give everything to you and go on a massive, huge, big, amazing adventure together.

MH: I would agree with that. Being heard, being listened to and being made to feel safe are about as romantic as it gets. Maybe that’s something I’ve only acknowledged as I’ve got older.

What has been the most intense fan reaction to Gavin & Stacey?

JP: People have named their children after Gavin and Stacey. All forms of animals have been named after them. The most intense is when you meet someone and they’ve been very ill or through a marriage breakup and you can see that they’re still pretty vulnerable and they say: “It saved my life, it was the only thing that got me through.”

MH: It’s a real privilege to have been part of something that can affect people like that. Being part of a piece of entertainment that has helped people in their lives is phenomenal.

JP: But then another quite intense appreciation of the show is that I often get photographs of Stacey sent to me and a few of them have been laminated. And lots of them are from men asking if I will sign it.

MH: Also, the guy that had Smithy’s curry order tattooed on his stomach!

JP: I witnessed it! It was just above his belly button: James’s face and the whole order. It did make me feel quite jealous because I don’t think anybody’s ever tattooed my face on them.

MH: Maybe after this interview is published, Jo. There’ll be a Guardian reader out there.

What was your real relationship like off camera?

MH: We couldn’t have been anything other than the closest of friends. Only Jo and I know what it feels like to be Gavin and Stacey. Even our partners don’t know. So, we naturally have a unique bond, having been thrust into the public eye, which has brought with it huge highs and some challenges as well. Having support from somebody who knows exactly what it feels like has been something I will always cherish.

JP: That’s so lovely. But I find that as well! We went into this job, my gosh, when we were in our late 20s and it was a huge whirlwind. It was my first job where it was a big leading role. And then to be working with Mat, there was chemistry and it always just felt right. Everything just felt so natural.

I’m now going through my 40s and our friendship has lasted – and he still makes me feel the same. I can be quite flighty and I get very excited, so I love Mat’s source of calmness and that he always makes me laugh. I feel very safe with him.

Did you keep something from set that reminds you of Gavin and Stacey?

MH: I’ve got our read-through script.

JP: Yes, me too!

MH: I’ve got the beer mat that you gave me. I really treasure that.

JP: And from the finale I’ve kept Stacey’s denim jacket and her yellow dress, and a painting that was in her living room. And then this weird purple glass chicken thing, which is on my bookcase downstairs, because I thought I just need that chicken.

What can Gavin and Stacey teach us about love?

MH: It’s not about the physical; it’s about a deep connection.

JP: There’s no point in worrying about finding love or trying to be something that somebody else wants you to be. Gavin and Stacey were completely themselves. (I mean, Stacey was lying a bit, wasn’t she? Aside from that … ) I think it teaches you that love is there and it’s not something you really go looking for.

When it hits you, it hits you.