Gavin and Stacey star Larry Lamb visited Bournemouth University as part of his tour across the UK promoting his new novel, All Wrapped Up.
Larry spoke to students on Friday, October 24 about his venture into writing his debut work of fiction.
Set amidst political turmoil on a film set on a Caribbean Island, it follows the first assistant director who is determined to see his production through.
Larry said he aimed to try and share what the world of a smaller film production is like, saying at the talk: “You’re against the clock all the time, it’s a very stressful business.”
Comparing it to his 2011 autobiography Mummy’s Boy, Larry said he found it to be a similar writing process and it being more about “finding a different way to tell a story.”
“What I really enjoyed was the fact that I was in charge, in control.”
Larry thought of the story for a long time and had seen it as a film, but found a novel was much easier to get off the ground.
After writing 1,000 words for his publisher, they said: “You’ve got the voice, the story, so I went and wrote it for the next 14 weeks.”
Looking to the future, Larry said: “The writing is where my heart is, it fits in with where I am now.” This is a result of him being able to pace his workflow instead of waking at 5am to film a scene.
He expressed interest in returning to writing poetry after a brief attempt back in 1983, where he focused on the support of women, saying they are what “turned me into a halfway decent human being.”
Looking back on his time in sitcom Gavin and Stacey, Larry said it was “one of the few jobs where I liked everyone”, calling creators of the show, James Corden and Ruth Jones, “an extraordinary pair of writers.”
On his wedding scene in the 2024 finale of Gavin and Stacey he said: "It was a bit of a surprise. I got more attention standing up and doing nothing than I ever have acting.”
The final day of filming for the Christmas Special was the last scene ever, with Larry saying 'We all knew it was a very memorable, emotional time.'
Throughout filming the first series he said: “We all stayed together in a hotel for the series. We all gathered in [what they called] Pam’s Parlour of an evening and that's where we became a family.”
Larry’s book tour ends at the iconic Barry Island on December 2nd, 2025, in Marco's Cafe.
