James Corden has shared some behind-the-scenes snaps of the final episode of Gavin And Stacey after the BBC series secured the highest Christmas Day ratings since 2008
Actor James Corden has thanked fans for tuning into the finale of his hit sitcom Gavin And Stacey after it secured the highest Christmas Day ratings since 2008 by sharing some behind-the-scenes snaps.
The co-creator of the BBC comedy, with Ruth Jones, wrote an emotional farewell to the show, which drew an average audience of 12.3 million on Christmas Day, according to overnight figures. On Thursday night, James took to Instagram to share some special pictures with his 6.2million followers.
“Here’s some behind the scenes photos from the special,” the Smithy actor wrote as he captioned the previously unseen snaps. “Thank you so much to everyone who watched last night. It means more than you’ll know. All my love, James xx.”
James Corden and Ruth Jones have been hailed geniuses for the Gavin and Stacey finale
The Smithy actor shared a series of behind-the-scene snaps as he thanked fans for watching
Underneath the post, music producer Darren Styles wrote: “The perfect ending! BRB (Be right back) while I rewatch every episode for the millionth time.” Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh wrote: “Aw loved it so much.” Arlene Phillips added: “Cannot even express the emotional roller coaster of the brilliant final episode.
“I laughed , I cried , a lot , and could only marvel at the brilliant script and the epic cast. Ruth Jones and her silent stares was one of the most powerful performances on TV . And suddenly , that’s it. It’s over.” One fan told James: “Great ending. I will miss these characters so much. Thanks for creating this show and giving us a beautiful my wrapped bow to end it all.”
Line of Duty star Anna Maxwell Martin made a cameo in the finale
And all the familiar faces from the original series were there tooJames also shared photos of him as Neil ‘Smithy’ Smith, and his co-creator Ruth Jones as Vanessa ‘Nessa’ Jenkins along with the cast filming Gavin And Stacey: The Finale in Wales. This included Sonia (Laura Aikman) – Smithy’s girlfriend from the 2019 Christmas Day episode, which ended with a cliff-hanger when Nessa proposed to him – returning as a bride to be.
The photo, shared by James, sees Nessa in the background looking in low spirits while Sonia is wearing a wedding dress and the cast is holding up masks of her face. In the final episode, many guests stood up when asked if anyone objects to the marriage, and Smithy realised he has to confess his true love to Nessa, who the finale revealed had her proposal interrupted in 2019 before Smithy could give his answer and the pair never discussed it again.
After racing to meet Nessa before she goes to work on the ships again, Smithy proposed to her and the final scene featured a heartwarming montage of a low-key wedding, with her sporting a black dress and the couple finally getting their happily ever after – much to the delight of relieved viewers.
Uncle Bryn has seen better days
James’ behind-the-scenes snaps have made fan emotional
The series – written by Ruth and James – originally aired between 2007 and 2010, and told the long-distance love story of title characters Stacey Shipman (Joanna Page) and Gavin (Mathew Horne). It returned in 2019 for a special episode that at the time held the record for the highest overnight Christmas ratings since 2008.
The 2019 Christmas episode had an overnight audience of 11.6 million. It was also the top viewed programme in the BBC’s schedule, with the new Wallace and Gromit film, Vengeance Most Fowl, in second place with an average overnight audience of 9.4 million, while the King’s speech attracted an average of 5.0 million viewers.
Gavin And Stacey star Laura Aikman has revealed her family only discovered she was returning to the BBC sitcom while watching the finale on Christmas Day. The actress, 39, shared a video on Instagram showing her family screaming in shock as her character Sonia appears on screen for the first time.
Sonia, the ex-girlfriend of Neil ‘Smithy’ Smith returns for the final Christmas special in a crucial plot twist that is revealed when they meet in a John Lewis shop to work on their wedding gifts registry. One member of Laura’s family can be heard shouting “press pause” while another tells her “you never told me”, to which Laura replies: “We never told anyone”.
The cast and crew went to great measures to keep the finale plot under wraps
The Christmas special has achieved record-breaking viewing figures
On the video she wrote “the moment my family realise Sonia is ruining Christmas again” and captioned the post “I take an NDA very seriously”. She also shared a photo of a cast board of all the Gavin And Stacey characters which has a space missing where her picture would have been.
The 2024 festive finale teased viewers as it began with the family of Stacey Shipman, played by Joanna Page, and her husband Gavin, portrayed by Mathew Horne, preparing for a wedding. Fans had been hoping it would be Smithy and Nessa walking down the aisle, but Wednesday’s special revealed Nessa’s proposal was interrupted before Smithy could give his answer and the pair never discussed it again.
Sonia has a number of “bridezilla” moments including criticising Smithy at the altar over his shoe choice. Throughout the 90-minute episode, Smithy’s friends and family question if Sonia is the right one for him, with best man Gavin finally telling Smithy he thinks it is a mistake during the ceremony.
After many guests – including Neil the Baby, Smithy and Nessa’s teenage son – stand up when asked if anyone objects to the marriage, Smithy realises he has to confess his true love and leaves Sonia a jilted bride as he races to Southampton to find Nessa and declare his love for her.
The documentary Gavin And Stacey: A Fond Farewell will be shown at 7pm on New Year’s Day on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
