The Guardian Whats On – 15 August 2026

Summary

"We get 200 tourists a day" — The Guardian What's On 15-21 August 2026 visits the real people who live in homes made famous by TV shows, from the Gavin and Stacey house in Barry to the Ted Lasso pub in Richmond, and asks whether fame is a blessing or a curse for the residents behind the landmarks. The cover story explores the tourism economy versus privacy conflict.

The cover feature profiles residents whose houses became TV landmarks. Glenda Kenyon, whose Barry home was used for Gavin and Stacey, describes the daily stream of visitors and the "Knock-Off Nessa" impersonators outside her door. The Ted Lasso pub in Richmond reports increased foot traffic. The piece weighs the economic benefits against the loss of privacy. The rest of the issue provides TV and radio listings for the week of 15-21 August.

Daily TV and radio picks fill the back half of the issue with programme schedules, broadcast times and streaming recommendations for the week.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story / Listings

When your house becomes a TV star — cover feature
Glenda Kenyon of Barry, South Wales, tells the reporter what it is like to have 200 tourists photographing her front door daily because of Gavin and Stacey. The article also checks in with residents near the Ted Lasso pub in Richmond and the Doc Martin cottage in Port Isaac. Each case includes the financial figure paid by production companies for location use. Location scouts can use the resident-interview template printed in the article to assess community impact before shooting.

TV picks for the week 15-21 August
Daily recommendations across major UK networks with broadcast times and channels. Each day features 3-5 highlighted programmes. Streamers can find on-demand availability listed in the "Catch Up" column for each day.

Radio highlights
BBC Radio 4, Radio 3 and 5 Live selections with broadcast schedules. Includes drama, documentary and live music programming. Radio listeners should note the "Podcast First" badge indicating shows that release audio before the broadcast time.

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Editor's Take

The cover concept is clever — the "real people behind the TV locations" angle is underexplored in most listings magazines — and Glenda Kenyon's testimony about living with 200 daily tourists is genuinely newsworthy. The weakness is that the entire feature runs only 2-3 pages and does not go deep enough on any single location. This issue is for TV fans who have ever wondered what it is like to live in a famous house and for Guardian listings subscribers who need the week's schedule.

Strengths
• Glenda Kenyon first-person account of life at the Gavin and Stacey house
• Financial disclosure of location-fee payments to residents

Weaknesses
• Cover feature too short — each location gets only a few paragraphs
• No Ted Lasso pub tenant interviewed directly

Verdict: Selective read — the cover concept is strong but underexecuted; wait for the expanded online version.