James Corden broke down in tears as he said an emotional farewell to Gavin and Stacey at the show’s premiere, just days before the comedy’s final episode hit screens.
17 years after its first episode hit screens, the show’s finale saw on-off lovers Smithy and Nessa finally declare their love for each other.
It was a fitting end to the couple’s unconventional relationship, which began with a drunken hookup during the show’s first episode.
And speaking at a Q&A with the cast at the premiere last week, James was visibly emotional as he took to the stage, after watching the final episode unfold.
The presenter created the show alongside his old friend Ruth Jones, and the pair will play Smithy and Nessa.
Talking about watching the show’s final scenes, Ruth said: “I’m not going to lie, I feel a little drained.” It was wonderful to see it with an audience, mostly made up of people who worked on the show.
James Corden broke down in tears as he revealed he wanted the Gavin and Stacey finale to “satisfy” die-hard fans before reflecting on the “emotional” final day of filming.
The show’s finale saw on-off lovers Smithy and Nessa finally declare their love for each other in a fitting end to the couple’s unconventional relationship.
“I hope you were proud and it’s wonderful to hear all the reactions because of course you know when you’re watching it and we’ve seen it a few times so for people to see it for the first time, to hear it.” The initial responses were just wonderful.’
James also alluded to the surprise return of star Laura Aikman, who reprized her role as Smithy’s girlfriend Sonia, in a reveal that was kept secret from viewers until the episode hit screens.
He said, “I just want it to be really satisfying, that’s all.” You’re obviously waiting for little key moments like Sonya’s reveal, and I feel like it’s very, very important to say that Laura, who plays Sonia, gives as good a performance as you could want, and Ella’s not here today for fear that somehow still leak.
“She stayed in hotels, she went places in the dead of night, she is not part of any of this, such is her desire and ours to try to protect the feeling we had here, so we really love.” to give him a round of applause.
“An almost impossible task now, and in anyone else’s hands she would be a caricature, and I hope she is celebrated for what truly is a perfect performance.”
Gavin and Stacey came to an end with the feature-length finale on Christmas Day, with many viewers quick to praise the ending as “perfect.”
The series, which debuted in 2007 after being created by stars James Corden and Ruth Jones, concluded with on-again, off-again lovers Smithy and Nessa finally declaring their love for each other and getting married, but not without a few hiccups along the way.
And speaking at a Q&A with the cast at the premiere last week, James was visibly emotional as he took to the stage, after watching the final episode unfold.
Ruth admitted: ‘I’m not going to lie, I’m feeling a bit exhausted. It was wonderful to see it with an audience, mostly made up of people who worked on the show.
James also alluded to the surprise return of star Laura Aikman, who reprized her role as Smithy’s girlfriend Sonia, in a reveal that was kept secret from viewers.
Smithy was originally set to marry his girlfriend Sonia, and it was revealed that he had never given a response to Nessa’s proposal, providing the cliffhanger for the show’s 2019 Christmas special.
But after the entire Shipman/West clan finally declared that he was making a mistake, Smithy finally declared his love for Nessa and proposed to her in an emotional scene on the Southampton docks.
The episode then shows Smithy and Nessa finally exchanging their vows in an intimate ceremony in Barry, and the series ends with an emotional montage of the family celebrating the occasion at The Dolphin pub, before posing for a family photo together.
Ruth and James also revealed that their last day of filming was also the last scene viewers saw, making it an emotional day for the entire cast.
James said: “The first show on the show had us finishing, I think it was going to be me alone in a low-floor car and Ruth and I said, ‘That can’t be the last day!'”
“And I think that’s the only time we’ve said ‘we’d like to have a say in the calendar,’ and it all had to do with people’s appointments…
“This is a huge cast that is very busy and has different things to do and has juggled a lot of things to do it, but we really felt that the last day should be the last scene and that the last line should be the last thing we film.
Fans first fell in love with the series in 2007 (pictured)
Ruth added: “If you look at the script, it’s just the setup, right? We had a whole day, it was a luxury because normally you’re looking at the clock and you’re faced with it and you have to finish, and we were very lucky that everyone in production to make this happen so that we could have the luxury of having one last day where everyone was there and that everything we had to do, we didn’t really have lines!
‘It was lovely because it felt like a real wedding, didn’t it? Like a real wedding with a pub reception of sorts and we were so grateful they let us do that because it made a huge difference that we did that last shot.
“And then Chris, when he asked for the last take to be cut, arranged for the sound department to play (led by Stephen Fretwell, the subject of the show) and that got us all going.”
James added: “It was probably the most emotional film set I’ve ever been on, and it was wonderful, a lot of our crew have been with us from the beginning, so it’s a wonderful way to wrap it all up in one film.” Monday in Barry.