Gavin & Stacey: Barry Island to Billericay

Gavin, from Billericay in Essex, and Stacey, from Barry in South Wales, first meet in Leicester Square in London, along with their best friends Smithy and Nessa. Gavin is 28 and Stacey is 26. The night ends with Gavin and Stacey sleeping together in a hotel room, and Smithy and Nessa do the same. That one meeting sets off the whole series. The opening episode used real location shooting here, filmed in 2006. The square lies in the City of Westminster, and the nearest Underground station is Leicester Square. The pin marks the square, not an exact filming spot.

Location precision: The sources place the meeting and the 2006 shoot in Leicester Square but not at a specific spot; the pin marks the square.

Visitor guidance: A public square in central London, next to Leicester Square Underground station.

Stacey lives at home on Barry Island with her widowed mother, Gwen. The show is partly set and filmed on the island, including Marco's Café, where Stacey works. Barry Island used to have a Butlins Holiday Camp and is now known more for its beach and Barry Island Pleasure Park. The series is credited with boosting the tourist trade to Barry and its seafront, as fans come to see the filming locations. Stacey becomes homesick for the island when she lives in Essex. The pin marks the island, not the café itself.

Location precision: The island is named as a setting and filming place, but the sources give no exact spot for Marco's Café; the pin marks Barry Island.

Visitor guidance: The beach and Pleasure Park are open to the public on the seafront at Barry Island.

In the story, Gavin lives at home in Billericay, Essex, with his parents Mick and Pam, at an address given as 23 Limetree Avenue. In fact the house was filmed on location in Laburnum Way, Dinas Powys, in Wales, and viewers are led to believe it is in Essex. After the wedding, Gavin and Stacey live with Pam and Mick, where Stacey struggles to find a job and becomes homesick for Barry Island. The house is a real home, so please look from the road.

Location precision: The sources name Laburnum Way, not a house number; the pin marks the street in Dinas Powys.

Barry Island railway station appeared in Gavin & Stacey in its own right, when Stacey was seen returning to Barry Island from Billericay. The pin marks the station on the island.

Visitor guidance: A station on Barry Island, near the beach.

In the extended Christmas special of 2008, Gavin reveals that he has found a job in Cardiff, which at first upsets Pam and Smithy. He later admits to Smithy that he is moving to Barry Island with Stacey in order to save his marriage. Cardiff matters off screen too: the three series were shot largely in Cardiff, which acted as parts of Billericay, as well as in Barry and the surrounding area. The pin marks the city centre, not a particular office.

Location precision: The sources name Cardiff without a specific site; the pin marks the city centre.