Latest news with #AllWrappedUp
Leader Live
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
Gavin & Stacey star Larry Lamb to visit Mold on book tour
The actor best known for portraying Mick Shipman in the hit series will be promoting his debut novel, All Wrapped Up. Fans in Flintshire will have the chance to meet Larry on Friday, November 21, at The Mold Bookshop in Mold Library. The event promises a meet-and-greet session, offering fans the opportunity to engage with the actor-turned-author. Larry's book tour, which has seen him travel from Billericay in Essex to Barry Island in South Wales, was inspired by his beloved character from the sitcom. The tour includes a variety of public events such as festival appearances, book signings, and 'audience with' events across the UK. Larry's novel, All Wrapped Up, is set amidst political turmoil on a Caribbean island. The narrative follows the story of Killian Wilde, the first assistant director, who is determined to see his film through amidst chaos. However, the plot thickens as Wilde juggles managing an impossible lead actor, navigating power struggles on and off set, and a crew member vanishing under mysterious circumstances. The production teeters on the brink of collapse, with the real battle being fought off-screen. READ MORE: Trustees appointed to support 'UK City of Culture 2029' ambitions in Wrexham This book provides readers with an insider's look at the industry's trials, tribulations, and hard-won successes of producing a piece of cinema. Larry's debut novel, published by Softwood Books, is now available for purchase at a recommended retail price of £9.99. Fans can also purchase tickets to the tour via Lamb's official Linktree.
Daily Mirror
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Gavin and Stacey star Larry Lamb admits 'we knew it was a hit from Day One'
The 'nation's favourite dad' as Mick Shipman, Larry Lamb says his role in the series has made him a 'better person' but there is no chance of a date with Pam in real life Larry Lamb laughs out loud when asked if he could have a real life romance with his 'TV wife' Alison Steadman. In ' Gavin and Stacey ', his character Mick Shipman, the 'nation's favourite dad', is married to Pam, played by Steadman. Their relationship was loved by millions of fans; the Gavin and Stacey finale was seen by almost 20m last Christmas, making it one of the most watched scripted TV shows of the century. But Larry assures fans on his nationwide book tour that their love affair comes from the 'wonderful' script. Asked if they could get together if they were both single, he says: "Hang on a minute, I have to be careful, we have the Daily Mirror in the room." The veteran actor, star of TV and Hollywood films, tells a sell-out crowd that he would never name his favourite leading lady. And he jokes that there is not a 'cat in hell's chance' of a dalliance with Steadman. "The reason it works is because it's written that way," he explained."It's a brilliant creative relationship on screen. "We live ten minutes away from each other, but we never see each other. If it's her birthday, I may send a flower. You know what I mean? It is a really wonderful relationship playing those two characters. But Alison is nothing like Pam in real life. She's a very, very private person, not at all like that character. And I'm not nice." Larry, 77, has just written his first novel, 'All Wrapped Up', based on his own experiences on a movie set, and he talks about that and his colourful life off screen at Newcastle's Tyneside cinema. He loves the region and had a role in the 1996 BBC series 'Our Friends in the North'. His 50-year career includes three Superman movies with Christopher Reeve, the first filmed in 1977, villain Archie Mitchell in EastEnders (2008/9) and ' I'm a Celebrity ' nine years ago. There were also TV series like Triangle, Minder, and Lovejoy. He revealed that the entire cast of 'Gavin and Stacey' knew they were onto a winner from their first day together, at a first read through of the script back in 2006. He recalled: "Everybody knew when we read it for the first time; it is the day when you will gather in some room somewhere, usually in Soho, that's when you kind of get a feeling of how it's going to work. "You meet the people in person and you get a feel for the first production of it. Clearly was something that really, really worked and we all got that. Everyone knew it." The show missed out on the BAFTA 'Memorable Moment' award this year Larry 'wrote a little speech' on behalf of the cast and crew. "The last line was that in writing Gavin and Stacey, Ruth Jones and James Corden had created a family that everyone could be a part of forever," he said. "For that I thanked them from the bottom of my heart. That's really the way I felt, and I know the way we all felt. It was this super special thing, and they finished it in a way that satisfied everybody." For his novel, Larry drew on his experiences filming in the Dominican Republic, in the 1985 mini-series 'The Life of Christopher Columbus' with Faye Dunaway and hellraiser Oliver Reed. "The one thing I learned about filming in the Caribbean is forget it, don't go anywhere near it," he said. "It is absolutely diabolical. I was playing a Spanish conquistador. I've got a great big bronze helmet on. I've got a big breastplate, I've got a kilt on, great big tights, it's insane. On a hot horse all day long; I would say, no don't do it." But he loved the camaraderie of the set, a feeling of belonging which he did not have in his troubled childhood in Edmonton, London. The British actor Jeremy Brett helped Larry land his big break on Broadway. Brett was offered a role with a Northern Irish accent. Larry, a complete novice, had just given up a highly paid job in Canada to get into acting. But he had lived in Ireland and is a gifted mimic. "So I went to New York, I did an audition and finished up in a big Broadway show, 20 months after I had become an actor," he said. "Fluke, fluke, fluke, Broadway. It went quite well, but it was so nerve wracking." He returned to the UK in 1977 to film the first of the Superman movies with Christopher Reeve. He recalls the set at Shepperton Studios with hidden script devices for Brando. "They had big idiot boards up on the walls for his lines," he said. "I walked onto the set and they were left up on the wall, you know, and I still can't believe it. I was a new boy on the block. I didn't have anything to say. You just move at the right time, distanced from the main roles. I would leave to get the bus and there was a long line of chauffeur driven cars ready to take all the stars home. "One night, there was Gene Hackman walking towards me. I introduced myself to him, he was nice. It was a huge production. There was one guy whose only task seemed to be trimming the director's cigars. I thought: 'that's the job I'd like." He loved playing the bad guy in EastEnders. "Villains are much easier," he told the Mirror as he signed copies of his book for fans. "With comedy, everything has to be spot on." Off screen, he has had a complicated love life. At 21, he was already married and living in London; after the split, there came a marriage to an American nurse; when that marriage broke up, he was involved with a former nun. He then fell in love and married the mother of his son, George Lamb; there were dalliances with Lady Colin Campbell, and an Iberia airline stewardess. At the end of 'I'm a Celebrity' in 2016, he was seen with former partner Marie Hugo, the artist and great granddaughter of the Les Miserables author Victor Hugo. They also parted and he spoke of living alone this year. Now, he wants to tell how playing Mick Shipman changed his outlook on life, a follow up to his 2011 memoir 'Mummy's Boy'. "The point where Gavin and Stacey came into my life, that's what I think I'm going to be writing about next," he said. "Touching on this extraordinary career, but just about me and Mick. I feel there's something else in me that touches on the relationship between me and Mick. I'm a much better person for having played him. A lot of Mick has come though in me. "I am writing poems about the end of life; you get into your 70s, there is a door, it says 'Way Out'. And it fascinates me. It is easier to deal with if I am writing about it and thinking about it and not making light of it, just confronting it. Because we don't confront it here. "I've had a house in Normandy for years and am very involved with local people there. Every year, there is Saint's Day. And so the tradition is everybody goes to the graveyard. There was an old lady there, she was 97, 98 and she said: 'I really didn't want to be buried next to him. I hated him.' She was moving her grave. They are much more realistic about death over there. "And my way of looking about it is to write about it." At the end of the night, he tells me that has no regrets. "That is what I have loved about looking back and reflecting on life," he said. "Your realise there is no point in having regrets." * All Wrapped Up, by Softwood Books, is available now, RRP £9.99. To purchase the book, or tickets to Larry's other tour dates, go to larrylambofficial.
Wales Online
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Gavin and Stacey star makes it clear show will never return
Gavin and Stacey star makes it clear show will never return Larry Lamb has ruled out a reboot of the hit BBC show, admitting the cast and crew have realised the Christmas special was the 'end' of the series The actor is nodding to the much loved TV series on his first ever book tour. Fans of Gavin and Stacey may have finally recovered after the Christmas series finale, but a key actor from the beloved series has quashed any lingering hopes for a revival. Larry Lamb, known for his role as Mick Shipman in the BBC's cherished sitcom for 17 years, described last year's Christmas special as an "extraordinary experience." The festive episode achieved a staggering 19.11 million views, and is even up for a memorable moment award at this year's BAFTAs for the iconic wedding scene. He told BBC Essex: "At the time, we all thought it probably won't be the end, I'm sure we will be doing it again, but gradually what's happened over the months, what I've realised is that was the end." For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter . While he acknowledged the sadness in concluding the show, he said that it was the right way to finish the much loved series He said: "That scene in the wedding - that's up for the moment of the year. "It was the way to end this story, you can't keep going on with it. Ruth and James brought it to a grand finale." Larry Lamb who plays Mick Shipman in Gavin & Stacey stole the show with his heartfelt speech (Image: BBC/GS TV Productions Ltd/Tom Jackson ) Article continues below Larry Lamb expressed that Mick will always be a part of him, and he's incorporating a Gavin and Stacey twist into his upcoming tour promoting his new book, 'All Wrapped Up'. He said in a release: "For the past 17 years, it's been such an honour to play the ever-popular Mick Shipman, Gavin's dad. Fans of the show often ask me what it's like to work on a TV or film set – and I hope that my novel gives them a glimpse into that world." Although he's embarking on fresh ventures, Lamb's fondness for the series is evident, particularly with the theme of his book tour. Larry told BBC Essex: 'I've chosen to start my book tour in Billericay, and end in Barry Island, in tribute to the fans of Gavin and Stacey and the unwavering support that each of the local communities have shown us over the years." The tour will kick off at The Reading Rooms in Billericay, Essex on Friday 16th May, and will end at the famous Marco's Café in Barry Island later this year. His tour also includes visiting The Hay Festival in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, The Mold Bookshop in Mold, Flintshire and The Hours in Brecon before finishing the tour in the iconic café where Stacey worked in the sitcom. Earlier this year fans were sent in to meltdown as the cast had a mini reunion to toast the launch of his debut novel. Larry Lamb's debut novel All Wrapped Up is available to buy online and in all good bookstores. (Image: Pete Jones - All Wrapped Up is available to buy now online and in all good bookstores. ) In attendance was his on screen wife Alison Steadman (aka Pam Shipman), Melanie Walters (Gwen ), and Ade Scarborough (Pete Sutcliffe). Read more here. Article continues below
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gavin and Stacey star says show will not return
Larry Lamb has announced that he is going on a book tour with a quirky twist [Jamie Simonds/BBC] It looks like Gavin and Stacey fans will never know what happened on that fishing trip after a star of the comedy put any reboot speculations to bed. Larry Lamb, who played Mick Shipman on the BBC's hit show for 17 years, said filming the Christmas episode last year was an "extraordinary experience.". He added: "At the time, we all thought it probably won't be the end, I'm sure we will be doing it again, but gradually what's happened over the months, what I've realised is that was the end." ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement Lamb said he would always carry a part of Mick with him, and his upcoming tour for his new book, All Wrapped Up, has a Gavin and Stacey theme. The final episode aired on BBC One on Christmas Day 2024 [PA Images] The Christmas episode of the show racked up 19.11 million views, and Lamb said while it was sad it ended, it was a "masterpiece, no doubt about it". He added: "That scene in the wedding - that's up for the moment of the year. "It was the way to end this story, you can't keep going on with it. Ruth and James brought it to a grand finale." While he has moved on to a new chapter (Lamb has written a new book about a film crew in the Caribbean who have a series of problems), he clearly will always have a soft spot for the show, as seen with his new book tour. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement "We're starting in Billericay in the reading rooms and we're going to finish in Barry in Marcos' cafe at a date to be arranged," he said. In between, Lamb will visit several other bookshops and read extracts of his new novel. "It's an adventure, it is all about a film crew going to a Caribbean island to make a film, and from the minute they set off, things go wrong," he revealed. "It's letting me show people the inside story of what film and television is all about because that is something I have been asked countless times." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. More on this story
BBC News
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Gavin and Stacey star says BBC show will not return
Gavin and Stacey star says show will not return 12 minutes ago Share Save Shivani Chaudhari BBC News, Essex Share Save Jamie Simonds/BBC Larry Lamb has announced that he is going on a book tour with a quirky twist It looks like Gavin and Stacey fans will never know what happened on that fishing trip after a star of the comedy put any reboot speculations to bed. Larry Lamb, who played Mick Shipman on the BBC's hit show for 17 years, said filming the Christmas episode last year was an "extraordinary experience.". He added: "At the time, we all thought it probably won't be the end, I'm sure we will be doing it again, but gradually what's happened over the months, what I've realised is that was the end." Lamb said he would always carry a part of Mick with him, and his upcoming tour for his new book, All Wrapped Up, has a Gavin and Stacey theme. PA Images The final episode aired on BBC One on Christmas Day 2024 The Christmas episode of the show racked up 19.11 million views, and Lamb said while it was sad it ended, it was a "masterpiece, no doubt about it". He added: "That scene in the wedding - that's up for the moment of the year. "It was the way to end this story, you can't keep going on with it. Ruth and James brought it to a grand finale." While he has moved on to a new chapter (Lamb has written a new book about a film crew in the Caribbean who have a series of problems), he clearly will always have a soft spot for the show, as seen with his new book tour. "We're starting in Billericay in the reading rooms and we're going to finish in Barry in Marcos' cafe at a date to be arranged," he said. In between, Lamb will visit several other bookshops and read extracts of his new novel. "It's an adventure, it is all about a film crew going to a Caribbean island to make a film, and from the minute they set off, things go wrong," he revealed. "It's letting me show people the inside story of what film and television is all about because that is something I have been asked countless times."
