Gavin And Stacey Viewers Outraged After Homophobic Slur In Christmas Special

WARNING: HUGE GAVIN & STACEY SPOILERS LIE AHEAD

The 'Fairytale of New York' debate has re-emerged after some Gavin and Stacey viewers slammed the Christmas special for its use of homophobic language.

In the much awaited Christmas special, Nessa and Bryn do 'Fairytale of New York' on the karaoke while the group were on a night out, but people weren't happy about the use of the word 'f****t', which is included in the classic song.

BBC

The lyric, which appears in the 1987 Christmas hit, has caused controversy in recent times, with many suggesting that it should be at least dropped from the song, with others thinking it should be boycotted altogether.

Many took to Twitter to voice their concerns over the BBC's decision to use the word.

One person wrote: "Can't believe we almost made it an entire Christmas without the 'Fairytale of New York' 'f****t' discourse and thenGavin & Stacey just... went there."

Another said: "'Fairytale of New York' was released in 1987, the Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special was broadcast in 2019. Scripts are drafted & redrafted - 'f****t' making it into a highly anticipated television episode on Christmas day was a conscious decision & there IS an issue with that."

While someone else posted: "Censoring 'f****t' in 'Fairytale of New York' in Gavin & Stacey tonight would not end homophobia. It's the original song, get over it. If you stop watching the show because they sang the song then you're an absolute drip."

BBC

Commenting on the other lyrics in the song, another Twitter user said: "I get why people would be offended by singing the original lyrics to 'Fairytale of New York' on Gavin and Stacey.

"Perhaps they should have avoided it (but I presume they knew the reaction by including it). But shouldn't people be equally offended by the misogynistic lyrics too?"

However, the broadcaster had defended their decision not to censor the original lyrics in the song.

Speaking to The Metro, a BBC spokesperson said: "'Fairytale of New York' is a very popular, much-loved Christmas song played widely throughout the festive season, and the lyrics are well-established with the audience."

The Christmas special was announced earlier this year and ended on a huge cliffhanger, with the hour-long episode ending with Nessa proposing to Smithy shortly followed by the closing credits that we just weren't prepared for.

The show ended before we heard a reply from him, with Ruth Jones (who plays Nessa) telling The Sun: "Obviously with the way it ends, there is room for more."

Topics: TV and Film, gavin and stacey, UK Entertainment

Amelia Ward

Amelia is a journalist at LADbible. After studying journalism at Liverpool John Moores and Salford Uni (don't ask), she went into PR and then the world of music. She spent a few years working on festivals and events before joining LADbible. In her spare time, Amelia likes music and spending good, quality time with her cat, Paul. You can contact Amelia at [email protected].

@ameliasward