The actor who played baby Neil in Gavin And Stacey is “disappointed” not to have been included in the upcoming final episode.
Oscar Hartland, 15, has played the son of Smithy (James Corden) and Nessa (Ruth Jones) in the hit BBC Three comedy since birth – but he wasn’t even asked to take part in the latest special, which airs on Christmas Day.
He said Sun: ‘I’m disappointed. I was hoping they would call me. Neil has to appear in the final episode because they can’t rule him out. Neil would be 15, the same age as me.’
Oscar made his first appearance in the season two finale in 2008 and was last seen in the holiday special in 2019.
The Welsh teenager has recently started a second career as a musician and has just released his first single, but he still has fond memories of his work on the series.
Oscar Hartland is ‘disappointed’ not to have been included in the upcoming Gavin and Stacey special (pictured with James Corden in 2008)
The 15-year-old child star has played the son of Smithy (James Corden) and Nessa (Ruth Jones) in the hit BBC Three comedy since birth, but was not even asked to appear in the final episode.
He added: ‘I loved working on the show, although I obviously can’t remember my first stint as baby Neil because I was so young.
“But I had a great time working again when I was ten, especially since I had to take a month off school. All my scenes were with Ruth and she was great with me, we got along really well.”
The schoolboy also told how Ruth became his mother off-screen, as she “looked after” him on set.
Oscar now plays for Caerphilly Rugby Club, where his nickname has become Neil and he “doesn’t mind” fans thinking that’s his real name.
Gavin and Stacey first aired on BBC Three in 2007 and ran for 20 episodes over three seasons.
In addition to James and Ruth, he made Mathew Horne and Joanna Page household names.
He played Neil as a baby in four episodes. The picture shows him with mom and dad on the beach in episode five of season three (2009)
Father and son on the set of Gavin and Stacey for the 2019 Christmas special. The episode had 17.1 million viewers, making it the most-watched scripted TV show of the 2010s.
Oscar is a year 10 pupil at St Martin’s Comprehensive School in Caerphilly.
James Corden and Ruth Jones have written the final episode of Gavin And Stacey, which will air on Christmas Day.
Also in the cast were acting stalwarts Alison Steadman and Larry Lamb, who will reprise their roles as Pam and Mick Shipman.
After the 2019 special ended on a cliffhanger, rumors circulated that the show would eventually return, but Oscar admitted that even before it was confirmed, he hadn’t heard anything.
He told MailOnline: “I’d love to do it again. I’m ready if they are.”
“Everyone has heard the rumors and the whole country wants to see another episode. I would love to be a part of that.”
“I don’t want to be a party pooper but I haven’t heard anything.”
