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Privacy NoticeAlison Steadman has shared a hilarious memory from her time on the set of Gavin and Stacey, recalling the time that ‘patient’ Larry Lamb lost his cool and shouted at his on-screen wife to “say the f***ing line”. This comes after the sad news that the cast have wrapped up filming the final episode of the beloved show. Alison couldn’t contain her laughter during one scene, as she details in her new book, Out of Character. The scene involved her character Pamela chatting with Dawn about a film she planned to watch, but Alison struggled to deliver her lines, with comedian and co-star Julia Davis only making matters worse.
Alison recalls the moment her on-screen husband got frustrated during filming
(Image: BBC)
Alison remembered: “Julia, Adrian [Scarborough, who plays Pete] and I are sitting around the table in the kitchen, I’m directly opposite Julia and Larry is standing just to the left of me. Dawn asks Pamela what she has planned and my bit was to tell her about some films that we were going to watch, including one called Doubt, which Dawn doesn’t remember, and Pam says something like ‘You know the one. Meryl Streep plays a nun and it’s got that big strawberry blond fella from Patch Adams in it.'” But Alison found herself unable to get the words out: “Well I just couldn’t get the words out. It was impossible. And so, taking a deep breath in, I went again, “Meryl Streep plays a…” and then I was gone.” She also recalled how Julia Davis – who played Dawn Sutcliffe in the much-loved sitcom – was holding a wine glass to her lips, but Alison could still see her trying not to smile, reports the Mirror.
Alison reveals her co-star Julia couldn’t stop laughing
(Image: ITV)
Alsion elaborated: “Julia’s one of those people who can keep a poker face, but their laughter is all in the twinkle of their eyes, and she had the worst twinkle in her eye at this point. I tried again – ‘Meryl Streep’. Gone. By this time Adrian had caught the bug too. It’s like a disease. Julia managed to keep it together, just about. She was laughing hysterically inside but kept her composure on the outside and every time I looked up, there it was, that twinkle, and I was a goner whenever we made eye contact – which we had to.” Alison described holding her giggles in as “torture” and admitted defeat, saying there was no containing it. Once director Christine Gernon called for a break, the set erupted, providing relief and giving her time to get a grip. Alison recalled: “Larry, who is the epitome of patience, even ended up saying to me ‘For god’s sake Alison, just say the f***ing line will you!’.”
Gaving and Stacey returns for one final episode which will air this Christmas
(Image: BABY COW)
Nonetheless, camaraderie was strong amongst the cast, attributable partly to Alison’s orchestration of bonding nights at the hotel bar, endearingly known as ‘Ali’s Parlour’. On setting up these nightly gatherings, she shared: “I found myself going into full event organiser mode at the end of each day in an attempt to bring us all together. And the bar very quickly was christened Ali’s Parlour by the producer, Lindsay Hughes.” Alison added that it was a “happy cast” with everyone’s character leading “full lives” thanks to the flawless writing. Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterMore OnMeryl StreepSitcomGavin and Stacey
