Gavin and Stacey 'in huge bidding war' as Netflix tries to steal BBC sitcom
A bidding war is set to break out between the BBC and Netflix over new episodes of hit comedy Gavin & Stacey.
The comedy show - written by and starring 45-year-old James Corden and 57-year-old Ruth Jones - first started airing on the BBC in 2007. Since then, there have been three seasons of the show and two specials - bringing the total number of episodes so far to 21. The most recent episode was the 2019 Christmas special - but this week, it was announced a new Christmas special has been written with the aim to air this year.
It has been reported James and Ruth have penned a script and have been contacting the wider cast to get everyone on board to film the special this summer. The last special to air on the BBC pulled in almost 19 million viewers.
Now reports are suggesting Netflix could made a bid to buy the comedy show - and snatch it away from the BBC. It is being suggested Netflix would consider the move a ‘coup’ and would pull in new subscribers.
The last Christmas special of Gavin and Stacey was in 2019 (PA)A source told The Sun: “Obviously the show has a special history with the BBC, and this seems like its natural and obvious home. Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore has spoken to the pair and made it clear she wants the show to stay put, but Netflix have also made it very, very explicit that they want to air it.”
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The source continued: “The provisional Netflix offer, coming as it does from a global conglomerate, dwarfs anything that the Beeb could offer — but Ruth and James aren’t about the money."
The source added: “It would be a huge coup for Netflix to steal this flagship British comedy from the nose of the BBC and, indeed, there may be a world in which this happens.”
On Tuesday, reports emerged suggesting a new Christmas special was occurring. Deadline reported: "The sitcom from James Corden and Ruth Jones will film a new episode over the summer with a view to airing at Christmas time this year, five years on from the previous ratings-topping special... the series is in development/pre-production and cameras will roll in a few months time on the show."
The report added: "The majority of the main cast will likely return for the special. Other than Corden and Jones, Gavin & Stacey stars Matthew Horne and Joanna Page in the titular roles along with an ensemble cast including Rob Brydon, Alison Steadman, Larry Lamb and Julia Davis."
Gavin & Stacey would not be the first TV show that Netflix has coaxed away from traditional UK broadcasters. Tense crime drama Top Boy aired on Channel 4 from 2011 until 2014 - before msuic icon Drake invested in the show and Netflix revived it for three more seasons, bringing the show to a huge new audience and becoming an international smash. Channel 4 also lost gritty anthology series Black Mirror to Netflix - who began streaming it in 2016 after the show originally aired on terrestrial TV from 2011 until 2014.
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