Gavin And Stacey to take viewers back to Barry and Billericay on Christmas Day

By Hannah Roberts, PA Entertainment Reporter

Hit BBC sitcom Gavin And Stacey is due to air its final episode, five years on from a Christmas proposal that gripped the nation.

The series, which originally aired between 2007 and 2010, follows Gavin’s family, the Shipmans, who live in Billericay, Essex, and Stacey’s family, the Wests, who reside in Barry, Wales.

In 2019 the show returned after almost a decade for a special that saw Vanessa Shanessa “Nessa” Jenkins (Ruth Jones) get down on one knee to confess her love for Neil “Smithy” Smith (James Corden).

Corden, 46, who co-wrote the show announced in May that the comedy series would return for a festive special, a year after he filmed his last episode as host of The Late Late Show in the US.

In the final episode, Gavin and Stacey, played by Mathew Horne and Joanna Page, are “looking for new ways to spice up their 17-year marriage”, according to the BBC, while Nessa has “started a new business venture”.

Nessa and Smithy’s son, Neil “the Baby”, is about to embark on an apprenticeship with his father, while Gavin’s mother, Pamela Shipman (Alison Steadman), is feeling stressed about playing host.

Her husband Mick Shipman (Larry Lamb) is newly retired and practising his golf swings, with their friends, Pete and Dawn Sutcliffe, played by Adrian Scarborough and Julia Davis, experiencing some ups and downs in their relationship.

A first-look trailer teased that viewers could “maybe find out what exactly did happen on that fishing trip” with Stacey’s uncle Bryn (Rob Brydon) and her brother Jason (Robert Wilfort).

Bryn and his nephew Jason allude to the events of the “fishing trip” during the series, but all viewers know is that the two men were close before the incident and rarely spoke after it.

The hit TV series returned in 2019 for a special that scored the highest overnight Christmas ratings in 12 years.

It attracted an average audience of 11.6 million viewers, making it the biggest festive special since Christmas Day 2008.

By the New Year, it had been viewed by 17.1 million people, making it the biggest scripted programme of the decade at the time.

It also won the impact award at the National Television Awards in 2020.

The show was co-created by Corden and Jones, and the 90-minute special is written and executively produced by them.

Gavin And Stacey: The Finale will air on BBC One from 9pm on Christmas Day and will also be available on BBC iPlayer.

The documentary Gavin And Stacey: A Fond Farewell will be shown at 7pm on New Year’s Day on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.