Victims’ families complain about Gavin & Stacey serial killer names

Posted by heatworld on Friday 02 Jan 2009

Filed under: Gavin & Stacey

Did you enjoy the Gavin & Stacey Christmas special? We sure did – but some people weren’t so keen. Many viewers noticed for the first time that the two families in the show are named after serial killers Harold Shipman and Fred West – and families of the two murderers’ victims are now furious, particularly as they also picked up on the fact that there additionally happens to be a character called Pete Sutcliffe in the show. “We have had problems in the past with media coverage which attempts to glorify or make fun of what Shipman did,” says Joe Kitchen, whose mother Chrissy was a victim of the killer doctor. “He murdered hundreds of people, which affected thousands of others. It is upsetting, particularly at this time of year, to discover some people making light of this. If it was not for the actions of Shipman, many people could have been spending this Christmas with their families. The whole thing is pretty sickening. You would expect more responsibility from the BBC. I thought after the Jonathan Ross affair someone would be looking at the bigger picture. Clearly, they were seeking ratings success at the expense of other people's feelings. When they gave these characters their names, they were certainly not thinking about our feelings.” The BBC have hit back at the criticism, saying that the names of the families have never been a secret – it’s just that people have only just picked up on it. In fact, Ruth Jones talked about it in a recent interview. “I suppose we were hoping that people wouldn't realise and then when it does come to light, it's even more delicious,” she said. “I'm sorry, that's a terrible word to use in conjunction with two murderers. The idea of Christmas with the Shipmans and the Wests – I just love saying that.” We have a feeling her words aren’t going to go down well with the viewers who’ve complained…