Alison Steadman initially blanked James Corden when he approached her about the new Gavin and Stacey Christmas special, as she didn't think it was true. After devising a plan to continue on from the 2019's cliffhanger Christmas episode, writers Ruth Jones and James approached the cast members individually, and their reactions differed.
When asked who had the best reaction, James said: "It's always [Joanna] Page (who plays Stacey Shipman). "I called her this time and she just said [with a Welsh accent], 'Oh my God. Are you serious? Are you serious, James? Are you serious?'.". Recalling his approach to Alison, the 46-year-old said she didn't respond to his call initially as she thought "it was someone messing around".
"I also rang Alison, but I couldn't get hold of her," he told Heat Magazine. "She thought it was someone messing around because I sent her a WhatsApp saying, 'Hey, Alison, this is James Corden. I was in the series Fat Friends with you many years ago. Is there a time when we can talk?'.
"And it went grey on WhatsApp, and then it went blue, and I remember texting Ruth going, 'She's just not replying.' Eventually she did.". Luckily for James, Alison agreed to reprise her role as Pam, the mother of Gavin Shipman (played by Matthew Horne).
The actress initially expressed doubts about a reunion happening when asked in 2020. At the time, she told Express.co.uk: "They [Ruth and James] are extremely busy people. "Finding the time to get together and put another show together is very difficult.".
