Alison Steadman
Alison Steadman (born 26 August 1946) is an English actor. She won the 1991 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress for the Mike Leigh (her husband 1973-2001) film Life is Sweet, and the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Actress for her role as Mari in the original production of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice. In a 2007 Channel 4 poll, the "50 Greatest Actors" voted for by other actors, she was ranked No. 42.
Steadman made her professional stage debut in 1968 and went on to establish her career in Mike Leigh's 1970s TV plays Nuts in May (1976) and Abigail's Party (1977). She received BAFTA TV Award nominations for the 1986 BBC serial The Singing Detective, and in 2001 for the ITV drama series Fat Friends (2000–05). Other television roles include Pride and Prejudice (1995), Gavin & Stacey (2007–10, 2019) and Orphan Black (2015–16). Her other film appearances include A Private Function (1984), Clockwise (1986), Shirley Valentine (1989), Topsy Turvy (1999), and The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004).
| Known For | Acting |
|---|---|
| Most Rating | 0.01 |
| Birthday | 1946-08-26 |
| Place of Birth | Liverpool, England, UK |
| Also Known As | Alison Steadman OBE, آلیسون استیدمن, |
2006
Loony in the Woods
2.1/6
A camping trip seems like the perfect way for a group of friends to spend a vacation they will never forget. Unfortunately, no one will be left alive...
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Loony in the Woods
2007
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas
0/0
Boasting an amazing selection of the most watched, most influential and most highly acclaimed programmes ever made, The 50 Greatest Television Dramas...
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The 50 Greatest Television Dramas
2006
Confetti
5.508/66
A mockumentary that follows three couples as they battle it out to win the coveted title of 'Most Original Wedding of the Year'.
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Confetti
1977
Abigail's Party
7.4/41
Beverly and Laurence are entertaining their new neighbours, Angela and Tony as well as Sue, whose teenage daughter, Abigail, is having a party. Over d...
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Abigail's Party
1992
Blame It on the Bellboy
5.4/56
Mike Lawton, Maurice Horton, and Melvin Orton are three men who come to Venice. One of them is a hit man sent to take out a mobster. Another is a lech...
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Blame It on the Bellboy
1990
Life Is Sweet
7/160
Just north of London live Wendy, Andy, and their twenty-something twins, Natalie and Nicola. Wendy clerks in a shop, Andy is a cook who forever puts o...
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Life Is Sweet
1989
Wilt
6.2/30
Henry Wilt is a more or less failed teacher who fantasizes about murdering his dominant, non-attentive wife Eva. At a party who gets stuck in an infla...
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Wilt
1999
Santa's Last Christmas
6/2
Santa and his helpers oversleep and risk causing a toy shortage at Christmas.
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Santa's Last Christmas
1982
P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang
7/19
Summer, 1948. 14-year-old Alan has just three wishes: that there will be lasting peace, that England will win the Ashes, and that he will finally kiss...
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P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang
2019
Off Grid
10/1
A man takes to a remote hideout with his sick wife, where they live in isolation as he battles to protect her life, and his own sanity, from a superna...
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Off Grid
1994
Degas and Pissario Fall Out
0/0
A forgotten gem made for the British arts anthology series Without Walls, this half-hour drama imagines the two 19th century impressionist painters on...
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Degas and Pissario Fall Out
2024
Better Man
7.8/334
Follow Robbie Williams' journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boyband Take That, through to his unparalleled achieveme...
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Better Man
2007
Fanny Hill
6/25
Orphaned by smallpox, young Lancashire country lady Fanny Hill cheerfully accepts her friend Esther Davies's offer to join the London 'working girls'...
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Fanny Hill
1989
Shirley Valentine
6.3/97
Wondering what has happened to herself, now feeling stagnant and in a rut, Shirley Valentine finds herself regularly talking to the wall while prepari...
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Shirley Valentine
2010
Come Rain Come Shine
5/2
David Jason stars as cockney ex-docker Don Mitchell in this emotional drama. Don is incredibly proud of his son David’s affluent lifestyle. The cars,...
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Come Rain Come Shine
2020
We Love Gavin and Stacey
0/0
A celebration of Ruth Jones and James Corden's comedy, with stars including Alison Steadman, Larry Lamb and Melanie Walters revealing backstage gossip...
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We Love Gavin and Stacey
1989
Virtuoso
0/0
In 1962, the young pianist, John Ogdon wins international success in Moscow and embarks on a whirlwind career. Ten years later he suffers the onset of...
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Virtuoso
1985
Number One
5/2
A down on his luck Irishman in London decides to play snooker for money.
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Number One
1984
Champions
6.8/14
The true story of jockey Bob Champion who overcame cancer to win the 1981 Grand National
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Champions
1989
Monster Maker
6.4/5
A young boy wants to work with a famous creature/fx man but gets more than he bargained when one of the creatures, The Ultra-Gorgon, takes him under h...
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Monster Maker
2002
D.I.Y. Hard
8.7/3
A hostage situation takes an unusual turn.
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D.I.Y. Hard
2012
A Civil Arrangement
0/0
Mother of the bride Isobel speaks direct to camera about her selfish Lesbian daughter Kelly's upcoming civil partnership to the older, sensible Janice...
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A Civil Arrangement
1976
Nuts in May
7.2/30
A middle-class couple go camping in Dorset, but peace and quiet elude them.
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Nuts in May
2016
Let's Do It: A Tribute to Victoria Wood
0/0
Friends and fans pay tribute to a great comic talent in this celebration of the life and work of the hugely popular Victoria Wood, who died of cancer...
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Let's Do It: A Tribute to Victoria Wood
1991
Selling Hitler
7/2
In 1981, Gerd Heidemann, a war correspondent and reporter with the German magazine Stern, makes what he believes is the literary and historical scoop...
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Selling Hitler
1994
Do You Remember the First Time?
0/0
An unconventional promo for the 1994 single of the same name by British band Pulp. Various celebrities are interviewed about their memories of losing...
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Do You Remember the First Time?
2017
Becky Watts Killed for Kicks
0/0
The story behind the murder of 16-year-old Becky Watts, who was killed by her stepbrother Nathan Matthews and his 21-year-old partner Shauna Hoare in...
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Becky Watts Killed for Kicks
2019
Gavin & Stacey: A Special Christmas
9/1
The Shipmans and the Wests get together once again for Christmas. Bryn is cooking dinner, Dawn is in shock, and there are revelations in the pub on Ch...
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Gavin & Stacey: A Special Christmas
2023
The 1970s Dinner Party
0/0
A colourful trip back in time, as Debbie McGee hosts a 1970s-style dinner party.
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The 1970s Dinner Party
1990
News Hounds
0/0
Every cub reporter wants a front page 'splash' and the journalists from The Brit, a top-selling daily tabloid, are no exception. They're on the trail...
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News Hounds
2022
Queen and Country
0/0
A film exploring the Queen's love of country life - whether in Scotland, Norfolk, or Windsor - through the eyes of those who came into contact with he...
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Queen and Country
1986
Clockwise
6.2/195
School headmaster Brian Stimpson is obsessed with timeliness, order, and discipline. Brian misses his train after meticulously preparing a speech for...
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Clockwise
1987
The Short & Curlies
6.321/28
A short comedy by Mike Leigh about the romance between a young woman and a man who communicates only through jokes and humor...
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The Short & Curlies
2016
Dad's Army
5/207
A cinema remake of the classic sitcom Dad's Army (1968). The Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard platoon deal with a visiting female journalist and a German...
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Dad's Army
2015
Peterman
6.7/5
The death of his safe cracking grandfather has landed Johnny as the only one left alive who can open a safe for a degenerate crew of violent gangsters...
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Peterman
1978
Two Days That Shook the Branch
0/0
Des, an enthusiastic incompetent, always promises rather more that he can deliver.
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Two Days That Shook the Branch
1989
A Small Mourning
0/0
When Marjorie's husband of 20 years dies of a brain tumour, she's hit financially as well as emotionally. The money she makes packing tights in a fact...
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A Small Mourning
2001
Ivor the Invisible
7/1
Written by Raymond Briggs, this beautifully animated film tells the story of ten-year-old John. After being woken up early one morning. John finds a b...
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Ivor the Invisible
2016
Burn Burn Burn
6.6/52
Following the death of their friend, two girls in their late twenties embark on a road trip to spread his ashes. Seph and Alex take turns driving. Dan...
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Burn Burn Burn
2003
Chunky Monkey
2/1
Fitness fanatic, Donald Leek, indulges in a monthly Chunky Monkey experience with, someone vaguely resembling movie-songstress, Julie Andrews, who he'...
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Chunky Monkey
1984
A Private Function
6.3/52
In the summer of 1947, Britain prepares to commemorate the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip. To get around food-rationing laws, Dr. Ch...
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A Private Function
1997
The Missing Postman
5/1
When Dorset postman Clive Peacock is forced into early retirement, the years ahead look bleak. But on his last day in the job, in a moment of unexpect...
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The Missing Postman
2001
Happy Now
5.5/6
All grown up and gunning for political power in a small North Wales community, Glen Marcus and his best mate harbour a dark secret which seems to be c...
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Happy Now
2007
The Dinner Party
6/2
Young couple Jackie and Leo move from North London to a suburban home in the green belt paradise of Southern England. At the birthday party of a neigh...
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The Dinner Party
1975
Through the Night
0/0
The play tells the story of Christine Potts, who undergoes an unexpected mastectomy, and struggles to cope with the aftermath and the deficiencies of...
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Through the Night
1999
Topsy-Turvy
6.6/148
After their production "Princess Ida" meets with less-than-stunning reviews, the relationship between Gilbert and Sullivan is strained to breaking. Th...
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Topsy-Turvy
1985
Coming Through
4.8/4
While researching the work of author D.H. Lawrence (Kenneth Branagh), Kate (Alison Steadman) begins a romance with a fellow academic, and learns about...
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Coming Through
1974
Girl
5/3
An episode of the BBC drama series Second City Firsts. Jackie is leaving the army. While waiting for her car to arrive, she encounters Corporal Harve...
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Girl
1975
Early to Bed
1/1
Alan Bleasdale’s television debut, this beautifully observed drama stars Alison Steadman as a woman having a passionate tryst with the boy next door w...
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Early to Bed
2011
French Exchange
6.5/2
15-year-old Jack is on a French Exchange trip with his school. But his mum won't stop ringing to check-up on him. On his last night, his host falls il...
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French Exchange
1997
The Ugly Duckling
6.1/8
The Ugly Duckling teams up with friend Scruffy, and the lovable misfits embark on a journey that helps them realize that their differences are what ma...
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The Ugly Duckling
2007
Who Gets the Dog
5/1
A drama about a couple on the edge of divorce, their solicitors, their daughter and of course, their dog.
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Who Gets the Dog
1988
Stormy Monday
5.8/80
When a corrupt American businessman tries to strong arm his way into businesses in Newcastle, England, he is thwarted by a club attendant and his wait...
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Stormy Monday
1982
Mike Leigh: Making Plays
8/1
Writer and Director Mike Leigh discusses the techniques used to create his plays.
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Mike Leigh: Making Plays
1973
Hard Labour
6.5/9
A quiet and put-upon house cleaner breaks her silence.
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Hard Labour
2014
The One and Only Mike Leigh
9/1
In a revealing documentary, Mike Leigh, director of Secrets & Lies, Vera Drake and Abigail's Party among many others, talks to Alan Yentob about a...
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The One and Only Mike Leigh
1988
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
6.948/905
An account of Baron Munchausen's supposed travels and fantastical experiences with his band of misfits.
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The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
1996
Secrets & Lies
7.5/659
After her adoptive mother dies, Hortense, a successful black optometrist, seeks out her birth mother. She's shocked when her research leads her to Cyn...
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Secrets & Lies
2010
Fry and Laurie Reunited
6.8/5
Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie reunite for a TV special to mark the 30th anniversary of their partnership.
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Fry and Laurie Reunited
2017
We Can Be Heroes
0/0
Ben never knew his father; he was killed in 9/11 when Ben was just a baby. Eleven years later, Ben goes to spend the summer with his grandparents, han...
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We Can Be Heroes
1983
Tartuffe, or The Imposter
0/0
Royal Shakespeare Company's televised adaptation of Moliere's play with Antony Sher in the title role of Tartuffe.
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Tartuffe, or The Imposter
2004
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
6.6/179
The turbulent personal and professional life of actor Peter Sellers (1925-1980), from his beginnings as a comic performer on BBC Radio to his huge suc...
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The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
2017
Yours Faithfully, Edna Welthorpe (Mrs)
8/1
Chris Shepherd directs a short animation in tribute to Joe Orton (Entertaining Mr Sloane, Loot) to mark the 50th anniversary of his death. Joe Orton w...
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Yours Faithfully, Edna Welthorpe (Mrs)
1981
The Muscle Market
7/2
Danny Duggan runs a failing building contractors, and resorts to sub-gangster thuggery to keep the business afloat. However, with the bottom falling o...
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The Muscle Market
1976
Bag of Yeast
0/0
When teacher Tony Scannell decides he wants to be ordained as a Catholic Priest his decision has wide ranging effects on his family and loved ones.
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Bag of Yeast
1999
Jack and the Beanstalk
6.8/4
In this spell-binding story brave Jack climbs the Beanstalk to the magical world of Beanland. He and his new friends Dilly (the small but fearless Bea...
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Jack and the Beanstalk
1974
Taking Leave
0/0
Mike comes home on leave from Ulster. After six years in the Army he has to decide whether to sign up again or not. His parents want him to leave the...
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Taking Leave
1977
Our Flesh and Blood
0/0
Comedy about a couple expecting their first baby.
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Our Flesh and Blood
2018
Care
6.556/9
Jenny, a single mother raising two daughters after her husband leaves, is aided by her widowed mother, Mary. But Jenny struggles to stay afloat after...
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Care
2021
The King's Man
6.752/4643
As a collection of history's worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man must race against time to stop...
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The King's Man
2007
All About 'Abigail's Party'
6.3/3
A look at the production of Play for Today: Abigail's Party (1977).
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All About 'Abigail's Party'
1995
Gotta Get Out
8/1
About a personal experience of claustrophobia and how to deal with it. When you can't have another cup of coffee or another brandy because you just go...
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Gotta Get Out
2020
23 Walks
6.6/16
A gentle, sweet, funny, romantic story of love in later life. Following a couple in their sixties, Dave and Fern who get to know one another over the...
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23 Walks
1980
Pasmore
0/0
Colin Pasmore tests his strength against his family ties but finds them stronger than he ever imagined.
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Pasmore
2009
Caravans: A British Love Affair
0/0
Documentary about the love affair between the British and their caravans, which saw the country establish the world's largest caravan manufacturer and...
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Caravans: A British Love Affair
1996
The Snow Queen's Revenge
5.5/10
The Snow Queen holds Ellie responsible for ruining her plans to freeze the world and sets out to seek revenge. She kidnaps Dimly the flying reindeer a...
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The Snow Queen's Revenge
2020
Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse
6/18
Roald & Beatrix, the tail of the curious mouse, a heart-warming Christmas film inspired by the true encounter between a six-year-old Roald Dahl and hi...
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Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse
1985
The Caucasian Chalk Circle
0/0
The hardships faced by a woman trying to survive a bloody civil war while caring for the abandoned child of the deposed former ruler.
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The Caucasian Chalk Circle
King of the Teds
0/0
Ron and Tina's lives are changed when long lost friend Nina calls, reawakening memories of when Ron was the charismatic 'King of the Teds' and both wo...
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King of the Teds
1989
7 Deadly Sins: Stage Acting
0/0
A short satirical film devised by and starring Alan Rickman, Jim Broadbent and Alison Steadman about the seven sins of stage acting.
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7 Deadly Sins: Stage Acting
2024
Gavin & Stacey: The Finale
9.2/2
It’s five years since Nessa declared her love for Smithy – and a lot has happened since. Journey to Barry and Billericay to catch up with the gang for...
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Gavin & Stacey: The Finale
2001
Bob the Builder: A Christmas to Remember - The Movie
7.8/19
Near Christmas, Robert "Bob The Builder" McGraw Jr. and his machine team gang of talking construction vehicles are preparing for the Winter Christmas...
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Bob the Builder: A Christmas to Remember - The Movie
2024
Gavin & Stacey: The Making of the Finale
0/0
Seventeen years after Gavin & Stacey begun, the series comes to an end with a 90-minute finale. Before the final episode, the last we saw of Nessa an...
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Gavin & Stacey: The Making of the Finale
2025
Gavin & Stacey: A Fond Farewell
8/3
An uplifting and touching documentary special which tells the story of one of Britain's best loved sitcoms as it comes to an end after 17 years. Featu...
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