Gavin & Stacey's Rob Brydon's eyebrow-raising reason for almost passing on Uncle Bryn role
Actor and comedian Rob Brydon has shared the eyebrow-raising reason for almost passing on the iconic role in Gavin & Stacey. For nearly 20 years, the Swansea actor has made us laugh - and at times cry, with his fantastic performance as beloved Uncle Bryn in the BBC comedy series.
This Christmas, the actor will star alongside the stellar cast of the show to say their goodbyes in the last ever episode, which will be aired at 9pm on Christmas Day (Wednesday, December 25). In the lead up to the big finale, the cast has been sharing their thoughts on the final episode, as well as what the series has meant to them over the last 17 years. For the latest TV & Showbiz news, sign up to our newsletter.
Rob Brydon's character, Uncle Bryn, is fondly known as Stacey's uncle, who lives across the road from her and her mother Gwen in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan. He has a strained relationship with his nephew Jason following a seemingly disturbing fishing trip, but ultimately is there for his family, especially for his niece when he walks her down the aisle on behalf of his late brother, Trevor at the end of series one.
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Ahead of the upcoming finale however, Rob Brydon explained he was very close to not taking the role as he had concerns over the character resembling another character he played in the past - Keith Barret. Between 2004 and 2005, Rob Brydon played a fictional chat show host who interviewed various celebrity couples.
When asked what his earliest memory of Gavin & Stacey was, Rob said: "Well, my earliest Gavin and Stacey related memory is sitting on a bench at Manley Beach in Sydney, Australia. I was over there filming a series I did called Supernova for the BBC and James was there, he was doing The History Boys World Tour, and I was umming and ahing about doing Gavin and Stacey, because I thought there were some similarities between Bryn and Keith Barrett. And at that point, I still harboured dreams of being Al Pacino, you know, and playing this wide range of parts. James and I sat together on the bench and talked about the show and that’s my first clear memory of Gavin and Stacey."
But luckily, the actor did not pass on the role and has now arguably created one of the most iconic characters from the TV sitcom. The actor also discussed one of his favourite Bryn moments. He said: "Well, that's really hard. I mean, it's not quite in tune with everything else, but I still love the scene in the back of the wedding car with Joanna Page reading the letter from my brother Trevor. But in terms of the out and out comedy, there are so many moments, the barn dance was great fun."
Gavin & Stacey: The Finale will be aired on Christmas Day at 9pm on both BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
