Alison & Larry: Billericay to Barry — release date, episodes and everything we know
Alison & Larry: Billericay to Barry sees Alison Steadman and Larry Lamb team up for a charming new documentary.
Alison & Larry: Billericay to Barry finds Gavin & Stacey stars Alison Steadman and Larry Lamb reuniting for an adventure-packed road trip.
In the three-part documentary series, airing on Gold, Here We Go and Life actor Alison and EastEnders and New Tricks' Larry embark on a scenic drive from Essex to Wales, spending time in locations that mean a lot to them and having a go at a range of activities.
Here’s everything we know about Alison & Larry: Billericay to Barry…
Alison & Larry: Billericay to Barry — what is the release date?
It begins on Monday, August 14 at 8pm on Gold.
All episodes will be available on Sky Box Sets, Now TV and Virgin TV.
We let you know if we hear news about a US release.
Alison & Larry: Billericay to Barry — what is it about?
The journey kicks off Billericay, Essex, where Alison and Larry’s Gavin & Stacey characters, Pam and Mick Shipman, lived with their son Gavin (Mathew Horne). Over the three episodes, the veteran actors then take to the road, ending up in Barry, South Wales, where Gavin’s true love Stacey (Joanna Page) came from.
Along the way, Alison and Larry will chat about their lives and careers as they visit a variety of places that have a special significance for them. They will also share some of their hobbies and passions when they tackle everything from planting a tree to coldwater swimming and making gin.
Alison & Larry: Billericay to Barry - who is in it?
The series, narrated by Joanna Page, sees Alison and Larry meet up with some of their former co-stars. While they travel through Epping Forest on an electric bike with Russell Tovey, who played Gavin’s friend Budgie, they make puppets in the Cotswolds with Robert Wilfort, who played Stacey’s brother Jason, and try their hand at Welsh cakes with Melanie Walters, best known as Stacey’s omelette-loving mum Gwen.
Alison & Larry: Billericay to Barry - episode guide
Episode One
The opener sees Alison and Larry ride an electric bike through Epping Forest, plant a tree and visit the Imperial Bird of Prey Academy in Billericay, take a boat trip on the River Thames and get pampered at a Buckinghamshire spa.
“Meeting the birds of prey was an eye-opener,” says Larry. “When they hit it [land on your gloved hand] you realise the force with which they hit their prey.”
“We also had a facial, which was an experience,” smiles Alison. "Imagine us having our faces massaged and then wearing red masks which made us look like something out of the Hammer House of Horrors!”
Episode Two
At Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, the pair get lost in the maze, before dining at an ethically-conscious Somerset restaurant and taking a trip around Bath. They also make puppets in the Cotswolds, and Larry enjoys some cold water swimming.
“I love asking questions, so the tour of the Roman baths was great,” reveals Larry. “I’m a history nerd and it has been over 50 years since my father took my brother and I there.”
“I’ve toured with plays in Bath many times and I love it,” adds Alison. “You have all these emotions tied into a place. To be back in that beautiful city was great.”
Episode Three
In the finale, the friends make Welsh cakes, sample gin at Hensol Castle’s distillery, have a macchiato at Marco’s café and ride the dodgems in Barry, and sing with a male voice choir in Newport.
“It was moving when we walked into the chapel and they were all singing and there was that wonderful sound,” says Alison.
“We sang in Welsh and they’d written it all out phonetically for us,” explains Larry. “And they put us in the middle so we had these guys all around us. It was lovely.”
Alison & Larry: Billericay to Barry trailer
Sadly there isn't an official trailer for the series yet, but if one is released we will add it to this guide.
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Caren has been a journalist specializing in TV for almost two decades and is a Senior Features Writer for TV Times, TV & Satellite Week and What’s On TV magazines and she also writes for What to Watch.
Over the years, she has spent many a day in a muddy field or an on-set catering bus chatting to numerous stars on location including the likes of Olivia Colman, David Tennant, Suranne Jones, Jamie Dornan, Dame Judi Dench and Sir Derek Jacobi as well as Hollywood actors such as Glenn Close and Kiefer Sutherland.
Caren will happily sit down and watch any kind of telly (well, maybe not sci-fi!), but she particularly loves period dramas like Call the Midwife, Downton Abbey and The Crown and she’s also a big fan of juicy crime thrillers from Line of Duty to Poirot.
In her spare time, Caren enjoys going to the cinema and theatre or curling up with a good book.