AFTER appearing in just one scene of Gavin and Stacey, Catrin-Mai Huw made a memorable impression—she still gets recognised today for the infamous ‘staring’ scene.
In the hilarious moment, Stacey, who is shopping with Gavin for a pregnancy test, comes face to face with her nemesis, Natalie Lewis, who she calls a right b***h .
Catrin-Mai, who made a cameo as Natalie and now works as a teacher told the BBC: “I think a few years ago they did a meme of the scene,
“So I had a few pupils saying Miss I have something to show you on my phone.
“I can’t believe that from one scene, people still recognise me 15 years later.”
In the scene, Stacey recounts to Gavin how her dad and brother once fought with Nessa, before Natalie saunters up to them and says: “Alright, Stace. How’s Ness?”
Stacey retorts: “How’s your brother, how’s your da?”
Natalie replies: “They’re alright. Wayne’s still on crutches.”
But the scene is iconic because the pair then have a stare-out contest before being interrupted by a customer.
Stacey says as she leaves: “Oh god I hate her!”
The scene is even more memorable because it brings out a darker side to the nice-as-pie Stacey, who is fiercely protective of her friend.
The last ever episode of Gavin and Stacey is set to air on Christmas Day, and will be followed by a special one-off documentary about the show’s best moments a few days later.
It is a time to reflect on the show’s favourite scenes, and for some fans, this is one of them.
James Corden and Ruth Jones, who met 25 years ago on the set of the ITV drama Fat Friends, dreamed up the show.
They came up with the concept of Gavin & Stacey while sat in the Crowne Plaza in Leeds and wrote the first episode in a London hotel near Selfridges, just before appearing on This Morning
The show has been a phenomenal success and charts a love story between two characters who live in different countries.
The pair met after being phone buddies for months and getting on like a house on fire – the only problem is Gavin lives in Essex and Stacey is from Barry Island in Wales.
After months of chemistry, they finally decide to meet in Leicester Square with Stacey’s best friend, Nessa, and Gav’s mate, Smithy, for moral support.
The first episode aired in 2007 was a roaring success and has resulted in the long running programme which has charted the highs and lows of the couple as they navigate life in two countries.
The show also features the lives of their respective friends and families and is a universally loved show.
The last Christmas episode had 11.6 million viewers – the best TV ratings in a decade watched by almost half of the nation’s TV watchers that day.
Now, as the final episode airs, viewers will reach for the tissues.
In the present day, Gavin and Stacey are still happily married and we find out if Nessa and Smithy ever tied the knot after Nessa popped the question during the last Christmas special in 2019.
James told the The Sun: “We did think for a moment, though not for very long, about possibly doing a film.
“And then we just thought, I don’t know if these are characters you want to see on a big screen.
“I think they are people that belong in the corner of your living room on Christmas Day.
“So, all that other stuff, the idea of taking it anywhere else, the idea of doing anything else, it didn’t sit right.
“This show is a very special thing, an extraordinary thing, and I’m just really excited for people to see it.”
Gavin and Stacey: The finale airs Christmas Day at 9pm on BBC One.
