With news of a Christmas special reunion episode announced, heres what made it such a hit.

The beauty ofGavin & Staceyis in its simplicity.

is all the show tells us.

Because of course, these day jobs arent really important.

That would be the bond that the titular duo has formed over countless work-related phone-calls.

And so: a blind date.

Again, this is something that happens to a lot of us over the course of our lifetimes.

Gavin & Staceys pilot episode slots all these pieces into place within about five minutes.

Of course, the set-up wouldnt work if the characters and the casting werent right.

This is an area thatGavin & Staceyreally excels in.

One of the shows biggest strengths is that its title characters arent wacky weirdos played for cheap laughs.

Likewise, Stacey isnt a manic pixie dream girl or an over-the-top caricature of modern womanhood.

Shes an ordinary likeable lass, with flaws and fears, played wonderfully by Joanna Page.

These two well-balanced-compared-to-the-rest-of-them protagonists provide ciphers for the viewers.

Regardless of your gender, in most episodes youll probably find something to relate to in Gavin and/or Stacey.

In creating these characters for themselves, Corden and Jones fashioned a bottomless pit of comedic potential.

Without them, the show simply wouldnt work.

Ruth Jones show-stealing performance managed to make the barely-even-a-word line oh!

into a hilarious recurring gag.

Pam, Gavins mum, could easily have been a boring side-note.

Shes paranoid, overly-excitable and utterly hilarious.

So yes,Gavin & Staceyhas a strong premise, quotable lines, engaging characters and top performances throughout.

These characters, however wacky some of them might be, are constantly embroiled in relatable personal dilemmas.

Somehow, the purchase of a rape alarm led to multiple big laughs.

From the start, Dave Coaches history of STDs is a common discussion point, too.

Gavin & Staceydoesnt just show us these things and play them for laughs, either.

Over its 20 episodes, it dug surprisingly deep in the inner turmoil of its characters.

He doesnt know what to do, and his first move upon returning is to propose.

He hasnt got a clue if this is the right thing to do, and promptly gets rejected.

This is believable behaviour, allowing the show to explore dramatic areas without ever losing its comedic footing.

Smithys fatherhood arc is one of the strongest narrative threads of the show.

Love isnt black and white.

Sometimes its impossible to make sense of.

And life wasnt easy for the title characters either.

Their position as the idyllic alternative to Smithy and Nessa was short-lived.

In series two, Stacey got seriously homesick in Billericay and resultantly moved back home and separated from Gav.

Things didnt get much better in series three, with Gavin finding out about his low sperm count.

This show wasnt afraid to take risks and tackle serious issues.

Now it was Gav feeling sad, in need of a poignant pep talk from his dad.

Welsh people marvelling over mint Baileys), theres always an underlying web of real human emotions.

Bravo then, to all involved in the show.

A version of this article was first published in 2016.