Some time ago, I posted the theory of relateeveety that the former Janet Smith of Runcorn, Cheshire, in the UK (as seen in 'Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps') was the "identical cousin" to Ruthie Smith of Billericay, Essex (seen on occasion in 'Gavin & Stacey'). Why? Because they were played by the same actress, Sheridan Smith. (Of course, first I tried to claim that they were the same person and then that they were half-sisters. But I think the tried-and-true splainin from 'The Patty Duke Show' does work the best.)And now we have a new theory of relateeveety to add to the Smith Family of Essex.
Ruthie's older brother Neil "Smithy" Smith was a major part of 'Gavin & Stacey'. So much so that I think the show was more about him than it was about Gavin!
And as it happens, he also has an identical twin, right there in Essex. His name is Craig Owens, and as was seen in the 'Doctor Who' episode "The Lodger" (FINALLY telecast in the States Saturday night!), he lived in the town of Colchester. (Wikipedia info on Colchester: Colchester is a historical, army town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England. As the oldest recorded Roman town in Britain, Colchester claims to be the oldest town in Britain.)
Neil "Smithy" Smith with Nessa
Craig Owens with Sophie
But unlike the situation with Ruthie and Janet, I don't think this is a case of identical cousins. I think Craig and Smithy are actually half-brothers. It's the Toobworld Central theory of relateeveety that Smithy's dad, the late Mr. Smith, did a bit of tom-catting throughout Essex; and in this instance, he fathered another son around the same time as his legal heir was born.
In Craig's case, his mother either never married and was already named Owens, or she married a man named Owens who raised Craig as his own. The matter of his parentage never came up in
that 'Doctor Who' episode, unlike the situation with Smithy, so we can easily choose from either scenario. (Should I ever get bored at work, I can always troll the IMDb for female characters with the last name "Owens" who might be of a previous generation from Craig and thus find his mommy.*)
Because Smithy's Dad is deceased, it's simpler to lay the blame of an extra-marital affair on him. And since Smithy's Mom was a narcoleptic, maybe he felt the need to find attention elsewhere. (Craig may have been a one-shot and so anything to do with his father could be made up out of whole cloth as well. But I'd like to think James Corden might one day come back and play the role again in 'Doctor Who'. After all, we saw so many other characters from this season come back in "The Pandorica Opens"! And should that happen, I better leave the options open regarding his Mum and Dad.)
In Craig's case, his mother either never married and was already named Owens, or she married a man named Owens who raised Craig as his own. The matter of his parentage never came up in
that 'Doctor Who' episode, unlike the situation with Smithy, so we can easily choose from either scenario. (Should I ever get bored at work, I can always troll the IMDb for female characters with the last name "Owens" who might be of a previous generation from Craig and thus find his mommy.*)Because Smithy's Dad is deceased, it's simpler to lay the blame of an extra-marital affair on him. And since Smithy's Mom was a narcoleptic, maybe he felt the need to find attention elsewhere. (Craig may have been a one-shot and so anything to do with his father could be made up out of whole cloth as well. But I'd like to think James Corden might one day come back and play the role again in 'Doctor Who'. After all, we saw so many other characters from this season come back in "The Pandorica Opens"! And should that happen, I better leave the options open regarding his Mum and Dad.)
It's only 32 miles between the two towns.
Not too far to go for a bit o' tail....
So that brings in another theoretical connection for 'Gavin & Stacey', along with 'Two Pints'. And I'll have to go through the trivia of the show to see if there are any others to be made. I think any of those claims about the famous people she knew which were made by Nessa were probably fabricated; otherwise they could have made for some excellent connections via the League of Themselves.
BCnU!
*It turns out I had plenty of time this shift to do a bit of a search, and was surprised to find that nobody fit the requirements I was looking for. However it could be theorized that Craig Owens' grandfather was Dr. Thomas Owens (of 'Owens, MD'), and his great uncle (Dr. Owens' brother) might have been Detective Inspector Owens of 'Crown Court'. For that matter, Louis Owens might be one of Craig's ancestors. Louis' mother was Anna Owens or Leonowens, who was a teacher in Siam, as seen in the sitcom 'Anna And The King. (Yes - the sitcom. This is Toobworld, remember.....)
"Humans.... Even the cleverer ones are stupid!"
Mr. Blakeman
'The Sarah Jane Adventures'
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