‘Gavin & Stacey’ cast’s early sitcom has become a surprise hit on Netflix

15 March, 2024

Gavin and Stacey

Fat Friends, which stars several cast members from Gavin & Stacey, has been released on Netflix almost 20 years after the show ended.

Earlier this week, the steaming service uploaded all four seasons of the comedy drama, which ran on ITV from 2000 to 2005.

Set in Leeds, the series followed the lives of several slimming club members from varied backgrounds. The club was run by the formidable Carol (Janet Dibley), who fruitlessly tried to persuade the members of the group to follow the ‘Super Slimmers’ diet.

Created by Kay Mellor, the series starred Ruth Jones, James Corden, Sheridan Smith and Alison Steadman, who all went on to appear in Gavin & Stacey.

Netflix’s decision to upload the series clearly went down well with fans, as the show currently sits second in the streamer’s top 10 most-watched programmes in the UK, with Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen holding the top spot.

After seeing that all of the episodes were available to stream on Netflix, fans soon took to social media to share their excitement.

“Fat Friends is on Netflix and I am buzzing for a lazy morning watching a few eps. As soon as I hear that ‘she’s a perfect 10, but wears a 12’ line in the opening I am thrown baccccck,” wrote one X/Twitter user.

Another posted: “I’m watching fat friends on Netflix, by Kay Mellor. I must have nearly cried about nine times already… so good.”

“As if Fat Friends is on Netflix. Prime television that,” added a third.

Throughout its run, Fat Friends picked up two Bafta nominations, including Best Drama Series and a Best Actress nod for Alison Steadman.

In other news, Gavin & Stacey is officially set to make a comeback with another Christmas special, which is expected to be filmed over the summer. It is also believed that the majority of the main cast will likely return.

The last time they made an appearance was in the 2019 Christmas special which was left on a cliffhanger, with Nessa (Ruth) proposing to Corden’s character Smithy, and the episode ending before he could provide an answer.

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