YYou know a town has a PR problem when they need to set it on fire to get attention. In 1984, it was on the evening news in my hometown of Barrie. The port office was hit by a fire.. Even without television coverage, I could see flames from my bedroom window. I don't remember my exact reaction to that sight, but one thing I never said was, “What's going on?” That's because the famous Barry term was invented nearly 20 years later.
Cameras captured flames flickering around a nearby statue of the businessman. david davisBarry's own Jebediah Springfield, it looked iconic. It was Davies who transformed Bury from a few scattered cottages into a thriving port city, spurred by nearby Cardiff's resentment against rival coal magnates. By 1913, it was the world's largest coal export port. But for most of the 20th century, it remained largely anonymous.
All that changed in 2007 when Gavin and Stacey first aired on the BBC. The heartwarming sitcom, written by and starring Ruth Jones and James Corden, was a huge success, spawning a spin-off charity single, a foreign film adaptation, and propelling Corden into Hollywood. The 2019 Christmas special attracted 18 million viewers, and this year's final episode is expected to surpass that number.
For foreigners accustomed to being invisible, the sight of the opening credits was unreal. I can literally see the end of my path. Every day as a child, I rode my bike up Trinity Street, where Stacey West and her family lived, teetering on the handlebars against the insane incline. Suddenly, Barry appeared. Now, when I talk to British people, they know exactly where Barry is. Two of the first 10 words you say will be “Stacey” and “Gavin.” For that, the Varians are very grateful.
And it's no wonder Barry Island's seaside merchants were eager to pounce on the Gavin and Stacey connection. At Marco's Cafe, where the filming took place, wooden cutouts of the cast were set up for fans to pose with. SH Amusements, where Jones' Nessa works as a cashier (and where I spent a summer as a bingo caller), has been renamed Nessa's Slots. The bus trip, cleverly branded Dave's Coach after a character on the show, was packed. Tourist shops on Paget Street still sell a decent trade on tea towels, T-shirts and shot glasses bearing Nessa's likeness and her catchphrase “Oh!” and “What's Going On?'' Gavin & Stacey isn't the only hit show made in Bury – much of Being Human was filmed in Bury – but with all due respect I say But no one is selling Russell Tovey tea towels.
This show is not beyond criticism. Some locals find elements of Jones and co-star Rob Brydon, who grew up in the upmarket resort town of Porthcawl, and poke fun at the rough-and-tumble, working-class Barry. Despite being surrounded by affluent suburbs, Barrie maintains a blue-collar atmosphere. The single largest employer on the outskirts of Palmerstown is the dystopian Dow Chemicals plant (adding to the Springfield-Simpsons comparison).
There's also the question of how accurately Gavin and Stacey portray the town. Balians are most often depicted as cheerful, simple people who are content with their lot. But what? It was What will be their fate? For most of the post-war period, it was a period of decline. By the time I was alive, Jeest's Banana Boat Coal ships coming in were a more common sight than coal ships leaving port. The pier is now largely unused and optimistically rebranded as a marina, while Holton Road, once a bustling retail centre, is now lined with e-cig shops and charity shops. It has become a harsh wilderness.
For a while, this decline was offset by tourism. In its heyday, photographers could snap snapshots of Barry Island on a summer's day, lured by the Pleasure Park and, from 1966, Butlin's Park, where not an inch of sand could be seen among the overflowing bodies. It was. But that trade was hit by the rise of cheap overseas travel, and within 30 years Butlins was demolished and replaced by a housing estate. The island has never fully recovered. There have been active attempts to rebrand the town as “Baribados,'' but some cynical locals, aware of its rough reputation, prefer “Basra.''
In hindsight, it was the perfect place to grow up, with so much to do, including movie theaters, an annual carnival, and even a pitch-and-putt golf course. But the former site of Bally's last cinema, the Theater Royal, is now a care home, carnival was canceled years ago and pitch and putt has gone wild again. Barrie is quickly becoming more of a dormitory town than a vibrant port/resort. Only the flood-prone fields around Dynas Powys prevent full incorporation into Cardiff.
Gavin and Stacey wouldn't know this. But to be fair, that's not what sitcoms do. And new buds are emerging. Barrie has acquired its own local station, Bro Radio. Festivals include Cadstock, Friendship Tree and Glastonbury. There's also Barry Pride. The development of Goodsheds has created hipster boutiques, gourmet stores, and vintage record shops. Fan-run Phoenix club Barry Town United are back in the Shimul Premier. Something is finally happening.
By the end of Christmas Day, we'll know if Smithy said yes, and we'll finally find out what happened on the fishing trip. One might think that what we don't see is a large part of what has happened with Barry since 2007. And that's fine. Gavin and Stacey put Bury on the map in a way that a flaming Victorian building never could, giving the tourism industry a valuable and lasting lifeline. What we can all say is Diorch in Foul for that.
