[tv show] Gavin & Stacey to return for Christmas special after five years

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Link: Gavin & Stacey to return for Christmas special after five years | Gavin and Stacey | The Guardian

 

The beloved British TV sitcom Gavin and Stacey is reportedly set to return to the BBC for a Christmas special, five years on from a dramatic cliffhanger, according to reports.

 

Created by James Corden and Ruth Jones, the comedy followed the two titular characters, played by Matthew Horne and Joanna Page, as they pursued a relationship across Essex and Wales.

 

The show ran for three series from 2007 to 2010, returning in 2019 for a festive special that ended with an unanswered marriage proposal.

 

At the climax of the episode, Nessa, played by Jones, got down on one knee to propose to Smithy, played by Corden, but viewers did not get to hear his response.

 

The pair had an on-off relationship and even had a baby together.

 

The show also starred Alison Steadman and Larry Lamb as Gavin’s mother, Pam, and father, Mick, while Melanie Walters and Rob Brydon portrayed Stacey’s widowed mother, Gwen, and her eccentric uncle, Bryn.

 

During its time, it graduated from BBC Three to BBC One and picked up multiple accolades including both Bafta and British Comedy Awards.

 

The Christmas special in 2019 picked up 10 years after the previous instalment and revealed that Gavin and Stacey now have three children, while Smithy and Nessa were successfully co-parenting their son, Neil.

 

It scored the highest overnight Christmas ratings in 12 years, attracting an average audience of 11.6 million viewers, making it the biggest festive special since Christmas Day 2008.

 

By the new year, it had been viewed by 17.1 million people, making it the biggest scripted programme of the decade at the time.

 

The special also went on to win the impact award at the National Television Awards in 2020.

 

Corden became friends with his co-star and co-creator Jones after they both appeared in the ITV drama Fat Friends.

 

The US outlet Deadline has reported that the sitcom is set to film a new episode over the summer with the plan to air it at Christmas, five years on from the last special.

 

It has claimed that the series is in development/pre-production stages and that it will be produced by Steve Coogan’s Baby Cow, Jones’ Tidy Productions and Fulwell 73, which is co-owned by Corden.

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Update:

 

Link: Gavin and Stacey co-creator Ruth Jones plays down rumours about a return - BBC News

 

What's occurring? Gavin and Stacey is coming back after five years... or is it?

 

On Tuesday, US TV and film website Deadline reported that the hit sitcom is set to return to the screens for a one-off special in December, sending the rumour mill into overdrive.

 

However, there has been no official confirmation by BBC Studios.

 

And Gavin and Stacey's co-creator Ruth Jones has played down the speculation, saying it was "sadly a rumour".

 

Speaking to Irish station RTE Radio 1 on Wednesday, she added: "All I can say is, if there was something to say on that front, James [Corden] and I would happily announce it, we would."

 

Other cast members are in the dark. Asked about the report on BBC One's Morning Live, Steffan Rhodri, who plays Dave, said he had "no knowledge to impart".

 

"I've heard there was a rumour, I never know where they start and I certainly don't know where they'll end," he added.

 

TV critic Scott Bryan thinks it could simply be "a bit too early" to get a definitive answer about an episode that is supposed to happen this Christmas.

 

"It's still only February," he says. "If the speculation is true, I would expect an announcement like this to be happening more around April, May or June."

 

Ratings winner

 

There have been press reports that Gavin and Stacey's return is at the centre of a bidding war, with the Sun claiming Netflix is trying to wrestle it away from the BBC.

 

Netflix has indicated that is not the case, while Jones remarked: "Apparently there's a bidding war going on between the BBC and Netflix and I love it because it says 'a source says'. Who is this source?"

 

Bryan suggests the leak could have been tactical, if it was intended to drum up interest in the show.

 

"We don't know if someone has told Deadline as a way of trying to build up some support for it, and streamer interest - or it could be that Deadline found out about the story from a trusted source and then did great sourcing to back it up," he says.

 

You could certainly understand why a streaming platform might be interested, given the success of Gavin and Stacey's last Christmas special in 2019.

 

That episode was the UK's most-watched scripted TV programme of the 2010s, with 17.1 million viewers.

 

That made it the most-watched comedy since the Only Fools and Horses Christmas special in 2002, which was seen by 17.4 million people.

 

Only sporting events and the 2010 X Factor final were watched by more people during the 2010s.

 

Other older programmes like Friends have done extremely well on streaming services, which could also drive platforms' interest in Gavin and Stacey.

 

But the BBC would also fight hard to retain it, Bryan says.

 

Proposal cliffhanger

 

"For the BBC it's one of their biggest shows. You can understand why they'd want to keep it," he says.

 

"It's such a British show and has a huge fan base," adds Rachel Aroesti, a TV critic for the Guardian. "You would assume they'd want to keep it it on the BBC."

 

The BBC has also already confirmed that Wallace and Gromit is coming back for a Christmas special this year. To have two hugely successful returning shows would clearly be good news for the corporation as it looks to capitalise on festive viewing.

 

If there is a bidding war between the BBC and the streamers, it could come down to who has deeper pockets.

 

But Bryan argues that Gavin and Stacey is probably not a particularly expensive programme to make. "If you think about it, it's a pretty traditional sitcom. You have of course got some big names, but they're not the stars that would necessarily attract a huge Hollywood fee."

 

Corden is the biggest name - he's coming fresh from eight years as host of The Late Late Show on US TV.

 

The last special famously ended on a cliffhanger after Nessa, played by Jones, proposed to Corden's Smithy.

 

But according to Jones, his answer may never be revealed.

 

"I quite like the idea of it just lingering there and us wondering, 'What did she say? Are they together?'" she said.

 

"I think she's still working down the slots, probably coaching the Welsh rugby team, because she's very good at that."

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Link: Gavin and Stacey to return to the BBC for last ever episode on Christmas Day 2024

 

We’ll have: A chicken bhuna, lamb bhuna, prawn bhuna, mushroom rice, bag of chips, keema naan, nine poppadoms and the last ever episode of Gavin and Stacey!!!

 

James Corden and Ruth Jones say: "Some news… It’s official!!! We have finished writing the last ever episode of Gavin and Stacey. See you on Christmas Day, BBC One. Love Ruth and James ❤️"

 

Gavin and Stacey is coming this Christmas Day on BBC One and iPlayer.

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Link: Gavin and Stacey final episode finished, James Corden says - BBC News

 

James Corden has revealed that he and Ruth Jones have finished the script for Gavin And Stacey's last ever episode.

 

Corden announced in early May - along with the show co-creator Jones - that the beloved comedy series would make a comeback on Christmas Day.

 

The BBC comedy programme, which aired between 2007 and 2010 before returning in 2019 for a festive episode that ended on a cliff-hanger with Nessa, played by Jones, getting down on one knee to propose to Smithy, played by Corden.

 

Corden said the writing duo had completed a script a "while back" but it was too long so rewrites were needed.

 

"Writing is really fun because you can just go 'anything can happen'," he added.

 

"But when you rewrite stuff, you're dealing with a lot of logistics and 'well look we might not be able to shoot that, or this needs to be in this location, is there any way this can change?' And, frankly, it's too long.

 

"What we have been doing the last few weeks really is just trying to make it as economical as possible. And we finished it [the script] yesterday."

 

The comedy, set in both Essex and Wales, has has become a cult classic.

 

It follows the lives of Essex boy Gavin, played by Matthew Horne, and Barry girl Stacey, played by Joanna Page, and their best friends Smithy and Nessa - played by co-creators Corden and Jones.

 

"We will never write anything that Pam says again," Corden told Chris Evans on his Virgin Radio breakfast show.

 

"We will never come up with an interesting thing that Bryn has done."

 

Reflecting on the show, Corden told Evans he feels "very emotional by all of it".

 

"To even have the luxury of deciding to end it and to be in a position where people still care.

 

"It's inconceivable to us - all of it," he said.

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Link: Gavin & Stacey to get a 'making of' documentary : News 2024 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide

 

The final episode of Gavin & Stacey is to be accompanied by a behind-the-scenes documentary, it has been reported.

 

Stars including creators James Corden and Ruth Jones have been followed by an extra film crew as they filmed the Christmas special in Barry Island last week.

 

And Joanna Page, who plays Stacey, was also seen being trailed by a crew when she greeted fans.

 

The Mail on Sunday today quotes sources on the set saying the footage is to be used for a ‘making-of’ documentary.

 

One said: ‘When the cameras filming Gavin & Stacey stopped, other cameras went on to film the behind-the-scenes action.

 

‘There was loads of lovely footage for the programme; it has been so special for its viewers. James is astute and realises that there is a wonderful story to be told about the making of it and what goes on behind the scenes.’

 

Mathew Horne, who plays Gavin, and Rob Brydon, who portrays Uncle Bryn, were also seen filming last week.

 

Corden told fans: ‘It’s all overwhelming, the fact that it’s the last time we’ll be here on the island. It’s wonderful. It’s the home of the show. It’s the centre of it really, and every bit of it you’re thinking: "God, I remember when we were here." ’

 

The last Christmas special was watched by 12 million viewers and ended on a cliffhanger with Jones’s Nessa down on one knee as she proposed to Corden’s Smithy.