Three cars from the iconic BBC comedy series will join a display of vehicles that have featured on screen at a newly refurbished exhibition at Beaulieu’s National Motor Museum.
The much-loved series Gavin & Stacey, created by James Corden and Ruth Jones, officially ended with its final episode airing in December 2024.
Smithy’s Volvo 850S Estate, Gavin’s blue Citroën Saxo VTS and Uncle Bryn’s reliable Citroën Xsara Picasso will go on display as part of the On Screen Cars exhibition at the National Motor Museum in Hampshire. The three cars from the BBC series are on display alongside other vehicles from TV and films. Admission to the exhibition is included with a visit to Beaulieu.
Along with the three cars from the BBC series, other vehicles on display include the Weasley family’s flying blue Ford Anglia which features in Harry Potter and the Chambers of Secrets, Del Boy’s Reliant Van from Only Fools and Horses, James Bond’s Jaguar XKR from Die Another Day and Mr Bean’s Mini.
Gavin & Stacey cars on display
Gavin’s blue Citroën Saxo VTS features heavily across the three series, particularly when it was used to drive between Essex and Barry Island. Also on display will be Smithy’s Volvo 850S Estate, which was used by him for his job as a handyman in Billericay, Essex.
The Estate featured heavily throughout the show, including as the backdrop to Smithy’s rendition of Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? in the 2008 Christmas Special. It also featured in a sketch for Comic Relief in 2011, when James Corden as ‘Smithy’ transported Wham star George Michael to the studio in the first ever ‘Carpool Karaoke’.
Uncle Bryn’s beloved Citroën Xsara Picasso completes the trio of vehicles. Fans of the show will recall Uncle Bryn, played by Rob Brydon saying that he’ll “drive it ‘til the day he dies.”
Visiting Beaulieu
A ticket to Beaulieu includes admission to the whole Beaulieu attraction, including On Screen Cars, the National Motor Museum, Palace House and its newly refurbished bedrooms, and the 13th-century Beaulieu Abbey and feature exhibition We Had One Of Those, where visitors can sit in the driving seat of cars from their past.
Groups visiting can enjoy discounts for 15 or more, a range of guided tours, group dining offers and free coach parking and driver admission.
Tours available include a palace guided tour, which allows visitors to find out about life above and below stairs in the ancestral home of the Montagu family; a Beaulieu Abbey tour looking at what life was like in the Cistercian Order at Beaulieu Abbey; and the motoring history tour which tells the stories of motoring pioneers, motor sport champions and land speed record breakers.
For more information about group visits to Beaulieu, go to www.beaulieu.co.uk/groups.
