Russell Brand Joke Cut From Gavin & Stacey Christmas Special on BBC iPlayer

A reference to Russell Brand has been removed from the version of a Gavin & Stacey Christmas special currently available on BBC iPlayer, according to the report. The edit affects a scene from the 2009 episode, although the exact date it was made is not known. In the original scene, Nessa, played by Ruth Jones, returns to the dinner table after putting baby Neil to bed. She jokes that she read him an extract from Brand’s memoir, My Booky Wook. That exchange remains in the iPlayer version. A separate exchange between Nessa and Stacey, played by Joanna Page, has been cut. In the deleted portion, Stacey says she is disappointed that she and Nessa were not mentioned in Brand’s autobiography. Nessa answers with a quip about a night out with Pam. The available version now moves from that point to Nessa praising Pam’s turkey instead. The report says the original scene can still be found in versions of the episode sold through other platforms. The edit had previously drawn attention in November 2023, after allegations about Brand were aired in a Channel 4 Dispatches programme. The BBC then said the version had been uploaded to iPlayer in error and that the original would be restored. The article reports that the current edit differs from that earlier explanation, while offering no information about when the latest change took place. The report connects the altered scene to renewed scrutiny of Brand’s past television appearances following his criminal conviction. It says publishers have withdrawn My Booky Wook from circulation. The episode was written by and stars Jones and James Corden, with Alison Steadman appearing as Pam.