BBCGavin & Stacey has been an absolute banger since its first release in 2007, but since James Corden revealed news of a brand new Christmas special, the iconic sitcom has taken centre stage once again.
Fans of the iconic series probably haven’t just seen each episode once. The BBC comedy is so binge-worthy you can watch it on a loop without ever getting bored.
But despite the series’ cult following, some fans just haven’t been paying enough attention, as a few people are only just realising that all the families are named after infamous serial killers.
BBCIf this is brand new information, then let’s just stop for a moment. Gavin hails from the Shipman family, which consists of he, his mum and dad, Pam and Mick Shipman, rather bizarrely named after Harold Shipman – a GP who was found guilty of murdering 15 of his patients in 2000.
Meanwhile, Stacey was born into the West family, alongside her mum Gwen West, uncle Bryn West and brother Jason West, named after Fred and Rose West – a couple who killed at least a dozen young British girls, including several of their own daughters.
Not ending there, the Shipman’s good friends, Dawn and Pete Sutcliffe, are named after Peter Sutcliffe – also known as the Yorkshire Ripper, who was convicted of murdering 13 women and attempting to murder seven others.
BBCOn discovering the news, one fan tweeted: ‘Only just realised that all the last names of characters from Gavin and Stacey are the same as serial killers.’
the best joke in gavin & stacey is that the two families are called the shipmans and the wests, nothing cracks me up like serial killer humour
— chloe 😇 (@chloealr) December 14, 2018
Only just realised that all the last names of characters from Gavin and Stacey are the same as serial killers
— Milz (@milz_johnston) May 16, 2019
Another added: ‘Has no one else noticed that every family in Gavin & Stacey has the surname of a famous serial killer?’
Erm, yes, but we’ll forgive fans for only just cottoning on to the strange joke from writers James Corden and Ruth Neil considering the new wave of fans the show has gained in recent months.
Ruth Jones and I have been keeping this secret for a while… We’re excited to share it with you. See you on Christmas Day @BBCOne #GavinandStacey pic.twitter.com/gTRa3cp90t
— James Corden (@JKCorden) May 28, 2019
Last month James Corden revealed the characters would be coming back together once again for a Christmas special that will premier at the end of this year.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.