The six part comedy series, which has the working title Horne and Corden Have Come, is being made by independent producer Tiger Aspect and will be directed by Kathy Burke.
According to the BBC the new series will be "designed as a traditional comedy entertainment show in the style of Morecambe and Wise" and will see the duo perform as themselves in front of a studio audience.
"Their intention is to make it like a traditional comedy entertainment show," said Tiger Aspect's head of comedy, Sophie Clarke-Jervoise. "They're moving away from the Little Britain and Catherine Tate formula where it's all character-led," she added. "In Gavin & Stacey, Mat and James have proved themselves to be Britain's best new comedy partnership and we're very much looking forward to presenting their brilliant new characters on BBC3."
Corden and Horne will trial their material in front of audiences in a tour starting next week and may bring in other scriptwriters, according to the BBC. The series will be executive produced by Clarke-Jervoise and her Tiger Aspect colleague Geoffrey Perkins and is planned for broadcast in early 2009. This commission completes a good week for Corden, who won the best comedy performer Bafta for Gavin & Stacey, the comedy he co-writes and co-stars in, and which also won the Sky+ audience award at Sunday's ceremony.
A BBC spokeswoman said today that no decision had been made on whether a third series of Gavin & Stacey would be commissioned. At the Baftas, Corden's co-writer Ruth Jones confirmed that they were currently working on a Christmas special of the show but added: "We never intended to write a second series let alone a third. We don't want it to become predictable. We will see how the Christmas special goes and take it from there." Corden also revealed at the Baftas: "We will write one if we can make it better. We have to be true to ourselves."
Elsewhere, the Gavin and Stacey critical backlash has started- at least from one Guardian journalist who Corden labelled a "fucking twat" at this week's Baftas. In his blog, Gareth McLean responded:
Even if James Corden hadn't called me "a fucking twat" in front of a room full of people, I'd still think Pulling was better than Gavin & Stacey. Indeed, it's because I have the temerity to suggest that Gavin & Stacey is anything other than absolutely brilliant - and is actually pedestrian, sentimental, old-fashioned and schmaltzy and now overrated to boot - that Corden chose to aim his rapier-sharp wit in my direction.
Clearly, I'm devastated.
Judging from his ungracious performance at the Baftas, no one is more convinced of Corden's comedy genius than he and anything less than adoration is considered sacrilege. Accepting the audience award - and having already won an award for best comedy performance - he moaned that Gavin & Stacey didn't make the shortlist for best sitcom. So with two awards, he still wasn't content. Talk about a sore winner.
That Gavin and Stacey has nabbed two Baftas, three British Comedy Awards, a South Bank Show award and a Broadcasting Press Guild award would suggest that a lot of people like it. I can understand why. It's undemanding, inoffensive and at a time when comedy has been dark and dysfunctional, and centred on cynical middle-aged men - from Curb through Extras to Lead Balloon - it's refreshingly romantic and optimistic. Indeed, it's this old-fashioned quality which makes it so new.
This is also one of the reasons I prefer Pulling. Sharon Horgan and Dennis Kelly's infinitely superior, much dirtier and so much funnier sitcom has been as overlooked as Gavin & Stacey has been overrated. From its exquisitely excruciating first episode in which Donna (Horgan) dumped fiancé Karl, it's been so close to the bone you can smell the marrow. Whether it's her outrage that Karl slept with her frienemy little fat Tanya or her disgust that the police don't care that someone stole her kebab - "What if it was a handbag made out of pitta?"- Donna is a raging egomaniac. And though there have been plenty of vile, selfish and unaware male characters in comedy, it's rare to have a woman so awful - the last was, I think, Nighty Night's Jill.
And Pulling doesn't just boast Donna. There are Karen and Louise too. In the first series, Rebekah Staton as Louise went accidentally dogging and become obsessed with internet porn. In the second series, she's become a thrill-seeker shoplifter and almost an entrepreneur with her "cocklolees" - lollies shaped as, yes, cocks. (I know it's juvenile but it's bloody funny). She's part wide-eyed ingénue and part deranged nymphomaniac.
Which brings us to my personal favourite, Karen (Tanya Franks). A "mean, alcoholic slag", according to Louise, she's provided some of the show's funniest moments - mostly when she's drinking, drunk (battering an apple!) or hungover, She's had a mouse on her pillow, countless dreadful men in her bed and, more than once, has woken up in a classroom. She's a primary school teacher, you see. Another stroke of brilliance on a canvas full of them. Why Frank - or indeed Horgan - haven't been applauded for their performances, I have no idea.
As the second series careers towards what seems as if it will be a suitably smashing finale, someone tell me - how is Gavin & Stacey superior to this superb specimen? Hmmmm?
