Gavin & Stacey confirms final ever episode and air date with BTS pic

But the bad news is that it's set to be the final ever episode of the hit comedy series.

Announcing the exciting news on his Instagram, James Corden shared a picture of himself and co-writer Ruth Jones with a script for "Gavin & Stacey: The finale" in front of them.

He 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."

While some of the cast members have confessed to not knowing anything about a special forthcoming episode, Larry Lamb was quick to respond to the news and dispel any worries that any of them have been lying.

Writing on X (formerly known as Twitter), Lamb wrote: "Well just to say to everyone who’s asked about another G&S … we just got the word from the BBC this morning… it’s definitely occurrin!!"

The official announcement has obviously came as a welcome surprise to fans, but earlier this year, in February, it was reported that a 2024 Christmas special was in the works.

When approached by RadioTimes.com, the BBC declined to comment at the time - but Deadline reported that filming on the festive episode was due to commence this summer.

There's plenty to explore in the final episode, not least the cliffhanger ending that saw Nessa (Jones) propose to Smithy (Corden).

Did they tie the knot? Will the episode jump forward in time? All burning questions that we're sure will be answered in due course, as well as confirmation as to whether all the main cast are set to reprise their roles.

At the time of Deadline's report that a Christmas episode was in the works, though, Jones did downplay the news when chatting on RTÉ Radio 1.

Jones dismissed the claims as "a rumour" and told radio host Oliver Callan: "If there was something to say, James [Corden] and I would happily announce it."

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More recently, RadioTimes.com also posed the question of a special to series star Joanna Page, asking whether she knew anything about rumours of a Christmas 2024 episode. She admitted: "I have absolutely no idea what’s going on, it’s the same as what it’s been for the last six years.

"I never ask Ruth or James if they’re doing anymore or anything, they’re the ones who write it. I don’t have a clue. I have no idea what’s happening.

"It was just such a fab job to work on and we all adore each other, we’re all like family.... I’ve got no other information than there was last time I said."

On whether she'd ever asked the series co-writers if there's set to be any more instalments, Page said at the time: "I’ve never ever asked them [Ruth and James] if they’re going to write anymore, I don’t know why. I just never, ever have. So I absolutely have no idea. No idea."

While it's, of course, sad that this will be the final ever episode of Gavin & Stacey, it's been a long time coming for fans, who last saw the cast on our screens together in the 2019 Christmas special - which went down in history as the most-watched scripted show in a decade, with more than 18 million viewers.

Gavin & Stacey is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.

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