A COUPLE known to their family and friends as ‘the real Gavin and Stacey’ are seeking a TV date to pay tribute to their love story.

Lucy and Stu Weston’s relationship mirrors that of the TV programme’s main characters in so many ways.

They even got engaged over fish and chips on Barry Island!

The couple, who live in Pembroke, West Wales, are long-time fans of the show which tells the tale of Essex boy Gavin (Matthew Horne) and Welsh girl Stacey (Joanna Page).

'Gavin and Stacey means the world to us'

So when they heard that there is to be just one more Gavin and Stacey show in the form of a 2024 Christmas special, they decided to pull out all the stops to try to be extras on the show and to share the screen with their idols.

Lucy said: “I have been trying to find a way of applying to be on the show due to air this Christmas. I have emailed the BBC, Newsnight, newspapers, casting agencies, and I have even sent direct messages to James Corden and Ruth Jones on Twitter.”

Free Press Series: Lucy, Stu and sons Ben and Zac enjoy a family Christmas.Lucy, Stu and sons Ben and Zac enjoy a family Christmas. (Image: Lucy Weston)

Love across the miles

Lucy, who works as a re-enablement assistant for Pembrokeshire County Council and Stu, 39, who is a self-employed builder, met on a dating site in 2009.

Just like Gavin and Stacey, they were separated by the miles.

But within weeks, Lucy and her best friend Kerry – who bears an uncanny resemblance to Stacey’s pal Nessa – were on the way from Pembroke for an overnight visit to the Midlands to meet up with Stu and his best mate Dale.

Free Press Series: Lucy and Stu reckon their best pals are just like Nessa and Smithy.Lucy and Stu reckon their best pals are just like Nessa and Smithy. (Image: BBC)

"He told me he loved me"

Recalled Lucy: “A few days later, Stu turned up on my Mum's doorstep, out of the blue. He told me he loved me and couldn't stop thinking about me. I told him I felt exactly the same and threw myself into his arms.

“That night we went for a walk to try and figure out how we could make it work.

"Stu stayed in Pembroke with me for a couple of days. We had a lovely time and I knew from that moment I had found someone special.

“When it was time for him to leave, I decided to ditch work and go with him.

“When we arrived at his parents' house, I had the most warm welcome.”

A wedding in Wales

Soon after, Stuart moved to Wales and found a local job and the couple, welcomed their first son Ben, now 13.

Stuart proposed on a trip to Barry Island they had a Welsh wedding in Freshwater East. Nine months later, their second son Zac, now 10, arrived.

Dad's like Uncle Bryn

Said Lucy: "We bought our first home right across the road from where I grew up and where my dad still lives, and, just like Uncle Bryn in the show he is always popping in to make sure we are all ok.

“Whenever Stu and I fall out, we send each other clips or songs from the show to make friends again. We still watch it most nights to fall asleep to. It is ‘our’ show. We absolutely love it!

"Our friends and family nickname us ’The real Gavin and Stacey’.

Not quite the same, sometimes....

"But unlike Gavin and Stacey, our love has never gone stagnant, my brother has never gone on a dodgy fishing trip and my mother has had new towels since her wedding!

“And in our version, our Nessa and Smithy never ended up together, but remain friends and are as mad as ever.

"So it would be the perfect tribute to our love story if we could appear on Gavin and Stacey's very last episode as extras."