Gavin & Stacey To Answer Nessa’s Cliff-Hanger in New Christmas Special?

UPDATE 15/02/24: Co-creator and star Ruth Jones addressed Gavin & Stacey‘s rumoured return in a radio interview on RTE promoting her new stage role in Sister Act: The Musical, and described the news as a rumour but didn’t categorically deny it (from around 17:00 in this audio clip):

“Apparently there’s a bidding war going on between the BBC and Netflix! ‘A source says…’ and I love it because, who is this source?! [laughs]. Where does this stuff come from? James [Corden] and I went for lunch, when he came back from America we went for lunch in London a few months ago and we got papped and then the next thing is ‘oh my God, they must be writing more Gavin & Stacey!’ which is lovely, it’s lovely that people love [it] and are so desperate for it. Imagine if it was the opposite and they were like, oh God, they’re not bringing that back!’ It’s sadly a rumour, I don’t know what to say. All I can say is, if there was something to say on that front, James and I would happily announce it, we would, but some random journalist who’s decided to write this story, I’m lost for words.”

Gavin & Stacey’s 2019 Christmas special was huge. Bigger than huge. Do some bad maths, and you could even say that it was watched by one in three people in the UK population (you’d be wrong but when has that ever stopped anybody making statistical assertions).

Outside of state funerals, royal weddings or pandemic lockdown broadcasts, nothing much on British TV gets over 18 million viewers, let alone something nice, and the 2019 Gavin & Stacey Christmas special was very nice. Which is why they’re rumoured to be doing another one.

As reported by Deadline, but yet to be confirmed by the BBC or the show’s production companies, Ruth Jones and James Corden have written a new episode, which is due to film this summer “with a view to airing at Christmas time this year, five years on from the previous ratings-topping special.” The news coincides with Corden’s return to the UK after eight years hosting The Late Late Show in the US.

Deadline also reports that “the majority of the main cast will likely return”, and mentions co-stars Rob Brydon, Alison Steadman, Larry Lamb and Julia Davis alongside titular stars Matthew Horne and Joanna Page. Tidy.

As well as being an enormous ratings hit, the 2019 Christmas special – the show’s second since the now-classic 2008 festive episode – left Gavin & Stacey’s ongoing story on a cliff-hanger. (Look away now if you care about five-year-old spoilers) James Corden’s Smithy was poised to tie the knot with to his ultra-critical new girlfriend when Ruth Jones’ Nessa got down on one knee, told Smithy that he was alright as he was and that she loved him.

The credits rolled before Smithy could answer, but as the mother of his son (hello, Neil the Baby!), surely Smithy chose Nessa over horrible Sonia? If the rumours prove to be true, Christmas 2024 will tell.

Gavin & Stacey is available to stream on BBC iPlayer in the UK.