Gavin and Stacey star Oscar Hartland has shared his disappointment at not being included in the show’s forthcoming final episode.
Hartland made his first appearance as “Neil the Baby” in the finale of the second series, which aired in 2008.
The accidental son of Vanessa Jenkins (Ruth Jones) and Neil Smith (James Corden), known as Smithy and Nessa in the show, his birth brings Gavin (Matthew Horne) and Stacey (Joanna Page) together as the pair undergo marital problems.
Neil the Baby made cameo appearances throughout the third series of the show before his final scene in its festive special in 2019. The special ended with Nessa proposing to Smithy, leaving viewers with a cliffhanger.
Corden surprised Gavin and Stacey fans with the news that the hit sitcom will return for one final episode, as the former late-night TV host posted a picture with friend and series collaborator Jones, showing them holding a script with the words: “Gavin and Stacey: The Finale.”
But Hartland’s exclusion from the episode has prompted speculation he may have been replaced.
“I’m disappointed. I was hoping to get the call,” the actor told The Sun. “Neil must feature in the final episode because they can’t write him out. Neil would be 15, the same age as me.”
Speaking about his experience on the much-loved programme, Hartland, who is originally from Caerphilly, South Wales, went on to talk positively about his experience.
“I loved working on the show although I obviously can’t remember my first spell as baby Neil because I was so young,” he continued.
“But I had a great time working again when I was ten, especially as I had to have a month off school. All my scenes were with Ruth and she was brilliant with me, we got on really well.”
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The child star has since gone on to a career as a musician and appeared on The Voice Kids last year. Although he is currently studying for his GCSEs, he has just released his first single which he reports was recorded in the same Monmouthshire studio where Queen recorded “Bohemian Rhapsody”.
Fans have been waiting nearly five years for Smithy’s response to Nessa – as the episode ended before he had the chance to reply to her proposal.
The episode was a major ratings success for BBC One. With 18.49 million viewers, the broadcast in the United Kingdom was the most-viewed non-sporting event in a decade and the most-watched comedy in 17 years.
The final episode of Gavin and Stacey will air on Christmas Day 2024 on BBC One.