James Corden has said his least favourite Gavin And Stacey episode is a “very bad half hour”.
The 47-year-old is best known for co-creating and starring in the hit BBC comedy alongside Ruth Jones.
Speaking at the BBC Comedy Festival in Liverpool, Cordon shared why the second episode from series one was his least favourite.
The second episode of series one follows a phone call-related misunderstanding between Gavin and Stacey, forcing Gavin to drive to Wales in the hopes of repairing his relationship.
Corden said: “It’s an awful episode.
“It’s a very, very, very bad half hour.”
He explained that because the first episode ended with a “very romantic proposal”, Corden and Ruth had “backed ourselves into a corner”.
The criticism was echoed by co-creator Jones and series director Christine Gernon – with Cordon noting the one positive that came from the episode was it introduced audiences to the bickering married couple Dawn and Pete Sutcliffe, played by Julia Davis and Adrian Scarborough.
Corden rose to fame as the co-writer and star of the BBC comedy playing Neil “Smithy” Smith alongside Jones’ Vanessa “Nessa” Jenkins, in three series and three Christmas specials from 2007 to 2024.
The show’s final episode, which aired on Christmas Day 2024, saw Smithy marry Nessa – which enjoyed huge overnight ratings of 12.3 million.
The success of the show, however, was down to a number of factors including luck and timing, Corden said.
He added: “There will be people in this room that have made extraordinary television shows that for some reason it just doesn’t click in that moment.
“I think it’s really important sometimes to differentiate things that are good or successful.
“We’re so programmed to think about success. Success is about timing, it’s about mood, culture. There is such an element of luck in it.
“Shows can be brilliant and not necessarily find that audience, particularly comedy.”
He later urged commissioners to “treat comedy in a different way” by greenlighting two series from the get-go, and giving it time to breathe and connect with audiences.
He said: “Comedy, I think, is the only thing that can really create stars overnight… But audiences need time and they don’t want to be force fed.
“I really think we’re very quick to dismiss comedy shows now in a way that we didn’t used to be.
“If you believe in something, just commission two series.
“It’s going to take time and then you’re not reliant on that thing of like overnights and stuff, because comedy is a completely different beast to drama, to documentary, any of those things.”
