TV news: Ruth Jones and James Corden look ahead to emotional Gavin and Stacey farewell
Gavin and Stacey is returning to UK television screens for the final time this Christmas, five years after Nessa got down on one knee and proposed to Smithy.
The upcoming Christmas Special will bring to an end nearly two decades of love and laughter from Billericay to Barry.
Film News Blitz’s David Bason writes of the end of an era for Gavin and Stacey creators Ruth Jones and James Corden.
Jones and Corden are well-known for their roles as Nessa and Smithy in Gavin and Stacey and this year’s Christmas Special marks five years since that proposal left us all on a cliffhanger.
Not only are Jones and Corden two integral puzzle pieces of the enigmatic Gavin and Stacey cast, they’re also the genius writers who created one of the most beloved shows on British television.
The 2024 Christmas Special is the last Gavin and Stacey script that Jones and Corden will ever write and perhaps we will find out if Smithy said yes when Nessa got down on one knee.
In addition, the recently released trailer teases that audiences might finally find out what happened during Uncle Bryn and Jason's fishing trip.
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Jones and Corden reflect on writing Gavin & Stacey: The Finale
Asked by the BBC how it felt writing Gavin and Stacey one last time, Jones said: "It was a mixture of excitement, nostalgia and sadness.
“Sad of course because this is the last time these characters will ever be on screen again, but so exciting to bring them to life again.
“And nostalgic because we’d be on set with the cast and we’d go down memory lane remembering the early episodes.
“We often reminisced about Maggie John [who played Doris] who’s no longer with us but we felt she was in spirit, especially when we were on Trinity Street.”
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Looking back on the last 20 years of a show that helped him become a household name, Corden said: “Gavin and Stacey is just a huge part of my life, it changed my life in every way.
“The thing it means to me most, is my friendship with Ruth.
“To have an idea with a friend in a hotel in Leeds 20 years ago and then be sat here today with what it’s become… if you think about it too much you could really just start crying all the time.
“I love her so much and I’m so proud of what we’ve done.”
If the words of Jones and Corden’s cast-mates are anything to go by, fans are in for a treat when Gavin and Stacey: The Finale airs at 21:00 GMT on Christmas Day (Wednesday, December 25) on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Rob Brydon, who plays the delightful, quirky Uncle Bryn confessed to welling up when he first read the script.
“It actually moved me to tears, you know, as I was reading some of it out loud to my wife, and my eyes sort of caught my voice, as it were when reading it,” he said.
“So I thought it was just superb.”
Tidy.
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