James Corden and Ruth Jones have written the latest episode of Gavin And Stacey, which will air on Christmas Day.
The pair secretly reunited to write the final edition of the much-loved BBC series after recently denying that another episode was in the works, five years after the last special aired in 2019.
James and Ruth, who play Smithy and Nessa on the show, surprised fans when they announced the news on Friday.
On Instagram, the couple shared a black and white photo of themselves holding the script.
Along with the post, they wrote: ‘Some news… It’s official! We’ve finished writing the latest episode of Gavin and Stacey. See you on Christmas Day, BBC One. Love Ruth and James!’
James Corden and Ruth Jones have written the latest episode of Gavin And Stacey, which will air on Christmas Day.
The couple wrote: ‘Some news… It’s official! We’ve finished writing the latest episode of Gavin and Stacey.
It was previously reported that a new episode of Gavin and Stacey was in the works, but Ruth Jones denied this.
Reports circulated online claiming the cast was set to film a new episode over the summer with the plan to air it at Christmas, five years after a dramatic cliffhanger.
US outlet Deadline reported that the new special was currently in the development/pre-production stages and will be produced by Steve Coogan’s Baby Cow, Jones’ Tidy Productions and Fulwell 73, which is co-owned by Corden.
But Ruth insisted the speculation was “sadly a rumour” during an interview on Irish broadcaster RTE Radio 1.
When asked about the reports, he said: “Apparently there’s a bidding war between the BBC and Netflix and I love it because it says ‘a source says’, who is this source?”
Ruth added: “It’s sadly a rumour… All I can say is that if there was something to say on that front, James and I would be happy to announce it, we would.”
The actress said she thought the rumors arose after she was photographed having lunch with Corden a few months ago, after he returned to the UK after living in the US.
“Then the next thing is ‘Oh my god, they should be writing more Gavin and Stacey,’ which is lovely,” he said.
The pair secretly reunited to write the final edition of the much-loved BBC series after recently denying that another episode was in the works.
The critically acclaimed series follows the lives of the two main characters, Gavin from Essex and Stacey from South Wales, documenting key points in their long-distance relationship and events that bring the two families together.
It was previously reported that a new episode of Gavin And Stacey was in the works, but Ruth Jones denied this, saying: “Unfortunately it’s a rumour.”
“It’s wonderful that people are so desperate about it because imagine if it was the complete opposite and they said, ‘Oh God, you’re not bringing that back.'”
Fans expressed their joy at the news on James and Ruth’s post. Among those who shared his joy was Rio Ferdinand, who wrote: “I am cleaning the diary.”
Others wrote: ‘This has made me happy all year’… ‘Yes, Christmas begins, I’ve been waiting for this for a long time’… ‘Entering Christmas 2024! Hurrah!’
One fan demanded that the final episode be “five hours” long to make up for the time that had passed since the last special.
Another joked whether viewers would finally find out what happened on the character Bryn’s famous fishing trip with her nephew Jason, a long-running joke on the series.
The critically acclaimed series follows the lives of the two main characters, Gavin from Essex and Stacey from South Wales, documenting key points in their long-distance relationship and events that bring the two families together.
Gavin and Stacey first aired in 2007 and ran for just 21 episodes, spanning three seasons and two Christmas specials. The show’s popularity was stratospheric: the 2019 Christmas special garnered a whopping 18.49 million viewers.
At the episode’s climax, Nessa got down on one knee to propose to Smithy, played by Corden, but viewers couldn’t hear her response.
The couple had an on-again, off-again relationship during the series and it was revealed in the special that they were successfully raising their son, Neil, together.
Fans had hoped the show would return following James’ decision to return to the UK after eight years presenting The Late Late Show in the US.
Ruth, who stole the show as beloved character Nessa, played the fun-loving amusement park worker and “original member” of All Saints, who becomes pregnant with Smithy’s child after a one-night stand.
Co-writer James took on the role of Gavin’s best friend from primary school, Smithy, who is interested in Stacey’s best friend, Nessa.
Starring Uncle Bryn in the hit series, Rob played the brother of Stacey’s late father, a single man in his forties.
Stacey was played by Joanna Page, with Mathew Horne playing the series’ main character, Gavin, nicknamed Gavlar or Gavala.