The end is near.
The BBC‘s beloved Gavin & Stacey sitcom wraps up with the finale on Christmas day and the Beeb has been building buzz with a first-look image of creators James Corden and Ruth Jones alongside Matthew Horne and Joanna Page, who play the titular characters. Below, you can see the original from 17 years ago when the show first aired.
Alongside the image, the BBC has revealed more info about the episode that will wrap up the story of Gavin, Stacey, Ruth, Nessa, friends and family. Logline reads: “In Barry, Bryn’s packing the Picasso in readiness for a trip to Essex; Stacey and Gavin are looking for new ways to spice up their seventeen year marriage and Gwen is behaving most strangely. Nessa’s started a new business venture and Neil the Baby’s about to begin an apprenticeship with his dad. Over in Billericay Pam is stressing out at the prospect of playing hostess, not helped by a newly retired Mick practicing his golf swings in the living room and there have been more ups and downs in Pete and Dawn’s relationship. Join us on the journey to Barry and Billericay as we catch up with the Shipmans and the Wests for the very last time and maybe find out what exactly did happen on that fishing trip.”
The finale will air on Christmas day on BBC One. Deadline revealed it was in the works at the start of this year and Corden and Jones confirmed on Instagram several weeks later. Cameras rolled over the summer.
Gavin & Stacey is doubtless one of the biggest British sitcoms of all time and the 2019 Christmas special was the most-watched show in a decade with more than 18 million viewers. It wasn’t without controversy, however. The ep featured Nessa and Bryn, the latter played by Rob Brydon, singing a karaoke duet of The Pogues’ ‘Fairytale of New York’ that included a homophobic slur, which wasn’t bleeped out. The slur has since been removed from BBC iPlayer and repeats.
Gavin & Stacey: The Finale is a Tidy and Fulwell73 production for BBC iPlayer and BBC One. It was commissioned by Charlotte Moore, BBC Chief Content Officer, and Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy Commissioning. Gavin & Stacey is created, written and executive produced by Jones and Corden. The director is Christine Gernon and the producer is Sarah Fraser. The Executive Producers are Jones, Rhys John and David Peet for Tidy Productions. James Corden, Leo Pearlman and Ben Winston for Fulwell73 Productions. The Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Emma Lawson. BBC Studios is handling international distribution.
Image: BBC/Baby Cow Productions/Neil Bennett