Stacey is from Barry, near Cardiff, and Gavin is from Essex. But the difference in backgrounds and culture doesn't hinder their romance, which flourishes when they finally meet for the first time after hitting it off during numerous flirtatious work calls.

Stacey's guardian-uncle, Bryn, has pledged to look out for his niece - when not obsessing over his faulty satellite navigation system - whilst Gavin is doted on by his sometimes emotionally volatile mother, Pam, who only wants the best for her "little prince".

On the occasionally rocky route to Gavin and Stacey's wedding, the two very different sets of families and friends must learn to get along together. The couple's best friends, the forthright Nessa and best man Smithy, get along very well together too, but unfortunately only when they're drunk.

In series two, the honeymoon is over for the newlyweds as their married life begins in earnest at the Shipman family home in Essex. But, as the reality of living so far away sinks in, Stacey starts missing her home in Barry Island along with her mum and her Uncle Bryn. Meanwhile, Smithy and Nessa are coming to terms with their own stark reality: they're not even friends and yet they're having a baby together.

Our Review: Gavin & Stacey is a slightly more subtle sitcom than you'd expect to find on BBC3 - but that's certainly not a negative against it!

Unless you've been living under a rock you can't have missed the hype surrounding this show. Viewers and critics have heaped much praise upon it. The Radio Times in particular has been writing some very gushing reviews.

When the show was first broadcast though, viewers had a more measured reaction. Some really loved it, but many others just couldn't understand what the press was getting excited about. But, as the episodes progressed, more and more people got hooked in. And now look at it - the show has won British Comedy Awards, BAFTAs and was voted the 'Best New Sitcom of 2007' in our yearly readers poll.

What's great is that the second series not only managed to avoid the pitfalls that many comedies fall into with their 'difficult' second season - it actually went on to be even better than the first.

We've got just two problems with this sitcom - firstly its tendency in both series to get a bit drama-heavy in the last couple of episodes; and its annoying habit of trying to create new catch-phrases like "What's Occuring" and "That's Well Lush" by wedging them in the script every ten seconds.

However, having said that, with universally great performances and excellent writing we think it'd be hard to argue against calling Gavin & Stacey one of the best sitcoms of the decade.

The good news is the comedy will be back for a Christmas special, but we'll have to wait and see whether or not a third series will be made (see our in-depth article for more info).