James Corden and Ruth Jones have written the last ever episode of Gavin And Stacey, set to air on Christmas Day.
The pair reunited in secret to pen the final edition of the much-loved BBC series after recently denying 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, shocked fans when they announced the news on Friday.
Taking to Instagram, the pair shared a black and white photo of themselves holding up the script.
Alongside the post, they wrote: ‘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!’
James Corden and Ruth Jones have written the last ever episode of Gavin And Stacey, set to air on Christmas Day
The pair wrote: ‘Some news… It’s official! We have finished writing the last ever 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 it.
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 on from a dramatic cliffhanger.
US outlet Deadline reported that the new special was in development/pre-production stages currently and that it 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 station RTE Radio 1.
Asked about the reports, she said: ‘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?’
Ruth added: ‘It’s sadly a rumour… All I can say is, if there was something to say on that front, James and I would happily announce it, we would.’
The actress said she thought the rumours were sparked after she was photographed having lunch with Corden a few months back after he returned to the UK from living in America.
‘Then the next thing is ‘Oh my god they must be writing more Gavin And Stacey’, which is lovely,’ she said.
The pair reunited in secret to pen the final edition of the much-loved BBC series after recently denying another episode was in the works
The critically acclaimed series follows the lives of the two titular 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 it, saying: ‘It’s sadly a rumour’
‘It’s lovely that people are so desperate for it because imagine if it was the opposite and were like ‘Oh, god, you’re not bringing that back again’.’
In March, Alison Steadman, who plays Pam, also shut down reunion rumours and insisted the cast were not reuniting.
Speaking to The Mirror, Alison said creators James and Ruth had not reached out to the cast at the time.
She said: ‘If we did another series or episode, I would absolutely love it. But at the moment, as far as I know, it’s not going to happen.
‘None of us have been sent scripts, none of us, so until there’s something definite and it’s announced, then I’m not going to go along with anything, it might not happen. It’s all up in the air.’
Fans expressed their joy at the news under James and Ruth’s post. Among those sharing their delight was Rio Ferdinand who wrote: ‘I’m clearing the diary.’
Others wrote: ‘This has made my whole year’… ‘Yes roll on Christmas, been waiting a very long time for this’… ‘Stepping into Christmas 2024! Yay!’
One fan demanded the final episode be ‘five hours long’ to make up for the length of time it’s been since the last special.
Another joked if viewers will finally learn what happened on character Bryn’s notorious fishing trip with his nephew Jason, a long-running joke on the series.
The critically acclaimed series follows the lives of the two titular 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 with 2019’s Christmas special garnering a whopping 18.49million viewers.
At the climax of the episode, Nessa 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 during the series and in the special it was revealed they were successfully co-parenting their son, Neil.
Fans have hoped the show would make a comeback following James’ decision to move back to the UK after his eight-year stint hosting The Late Late Show in the US.
Stealing the show as much-loved character Nessa, Ruth portrayed the hilarious 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 as Uncle Bryn in the hit series, Rob played the brother of Stacey’s deceased father, a single man in his late forties.
Stacey was played by Joanna Page, with Mathew Horne starring as the series’ titular character Gavin, nicknamed Gavlar, or Gavala.
During its time it graduated from BBC Three to BBC One and picked up multiple accolades including Bafta and British Comedy Awards gongs.
