Alison Steadman was "convinced" 'Gavin & Stacey' would never return.
Alison Steadman
The 73-year-old actress plays Pam Shipman in the popular BBC sitcom and with the show - which was created and written by James Corden and Ruth Jones - primed for a Christmas special later this year, she has admitted she didn't expect to be reprising the role one more time after the third series ended in 2010.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror newspaper, she said: "Pam is so special to me. From when I read the first script I just thought 'This is really good'. I always know straight away if it's something I want to do.
"I can hear it in my head when I read it. And I could hear Pam straight away. But we were all 100% convinced it would never happen. I always used to say leave well alone.
"But then, suddenly, I got this message from Ruth Jones. It said 'Would you consider doing a Christmas special?' I was like 'What!' I just couldn't believe it."
Alison will be reunited with former cast mates Mathew Horne, Joanna Page, Larry Lamb, Melanie Walters and Rob Brydon, with James and Ruth again at the helm.
She revealed the cast and crew have had an absolute blast being bac together on set shooting scenes for the festive episode.
She added: "We were all a bit hysterical, hugging, kissing, laughing, crying. We had two or three days round the table having Christmas dinner.
"There was a lot of banter going on, a lot of gags, particularly from Rob Brydon. I hope people do like it.
"The thing about it, and what I've always felt about 'Gavin & Stacey', is that there's warmth there. They might row, they might get upset, but you know underneath it all they love each other."
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