A couple who unknowingly moved into Uncle Bryn’s house from Gavin and Stacey have revealed how filming chaos and obsessed fans forced them to leave their dream home.
Lisa Edwards and her husband Michael moved into the unassuming terraced house on Trinity Street, Barry, in 2006.
They were totally unaware it would soon become one of the most recognisable houses on British TV.
The series hadn’t aired yet, so the pair had no idea their home would be immortalised as the cosy pad where Rob Brydon’s Uncle Bryn taught Gavin the wonders of the internet.
Lisa, 41, recalled the shock of seeing her own house on screen for the first time.
She said: “The first time I realised I was in the house watching it on TV. I thought it looked like my living room at the time, and it was the weirdest feeling.
“Our neighbours were away at the time so I couldn’t ask them so I rang the BBC. They said due to data protection they couldn’t tell us – they said they were filming series two and if someone knocked on my door then we would know.”
The knock on the door eventually came and during filming, the couple got to meet the cast, including Ruth Jones (Nessa) and Rob Brydon himself.
The girl guide leader told Wales Online: “We got to stay in the house for filming so we saw more than everyone else.
“For season two they completely re-did the living room. There was stuffed animals and tanks – it didn’t look even slightly like our living room.
“They catalogued everything and had to put it all back in the right place.
“We had this DFS sofa and when we moved it in it was a really struggle so they said they wouldn’t bother to move it.
“We actually sold it on eBay and put on the listings that it was a famous sofa.”
But while the cast were friendly, living in the house got a bit too much.
And after the show became a smash hit, Lisa and Michael’s home turned into a hotspot for die-hard fans of the series.
The constant stream of visitors made life unbearable.
Speaking to Gavin and Stacey fans over on Reddit, Lisa continued: “We had people knocking on the windows late at night asking for a tour.
“When we moved out we got a bit sick of all the attention as we had people knocking on our door to have a look around.
“Now I can look back with fondness and I am really excited about the special.
In fact I took my Girl Guides to see the last bit of filming on trinity street.”
Asked how the stag do episode went by one Reddit user, Lisa said: “This was the most they set up the living room, it was also there for the whole weekend and they left pizzas out on markers that couldn’t be moved.
“They smelled lovely to start with but the whole room stank by Monday. They also had a subbuteo set laid out. We did have a nose around in there!”
Lisa still has fond memories of living in the iconic TV house.
A final Gavin and Stacey special will air on Christmas Day on BBC One at 9pm.
With the news that the show is set to make an exciting return to screens, let's take a look at some of the comedy programme's biggest and best moments...
