Along with the burning questions over whether Nessa and Smithy would finally get together in Gavin & Stacey's final ever episode, fans of the sitcom were also treated to quite the surprise when it was revealed that Stacey's mother Gwen had a budding romance of her own.
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In the dramatic scenes that aired over Christmas, it was revealed that Gwen (Melanie Walters) had been in a relationship with Dave Coaches (Steffan Rhodri), a plot twist that most fans didn't quite see coming.
But did Walters?
Speaking of her reaction to reading about Gwen's new love interest for the finale, Walters chatted exclusively to RadioTimes.com at the Radio Times Covers Party 2025 and said: "Well, I howled as well, actually.
"I read it, I was sort of pre-warned by Chris, our amazing director, Chris Gernon. Obviously, she didn't tell me anything."
The cast of Gavin & Stacey.
Walters continued: "She'd read the script before I got the script. But she said, 'I'm not going to say anything at all.' She said, 'What I will say is that you will... there'll be a point that you will shriek.' So yeah, and that was the point I did, I did shriek.
"I had absolutely, absolutely no idea. It's great, wasn't it? It's great. It was weird. Actually, [I was] reading some people thought it was going to be Pete. Did you see?
"Anyway, amazing storyline. I'm really blessed to have such a good storyline in the finale."
Of course, Dave Coaches has been a staple character in the comedy series for some time, and was even due to marry Nessa (Ruth Jones) before being interrupted, with both admitting that they didn't truly love each other.
Dave is also the only character aside from Bryn (Rob Brydon) and Jason (Robert Wilfort) who knows what happened on the mysterious fishing trip all those years prior.
Because of that, Bryn doesn't take too well to Dave generally, and so, when the news of Gwen and Dave's relationship is revealed in that hilarious final episode, Bryn takes a while to warm to Dave.
In fact, he goes as far as taking a whole separate car to London just so he doesn't have to ride in Dave's coach. But all's well that ends well, and in the end, the rift appeared to be repaired.
While the finale ended on a fitting note, fans have naturally begged the question of there being the possibility of more.
However, series co-creators James Corden and Ruth Jones have said that they can't make any more Gavin & Stacey because of the fact we can't see Nessa and Smithy living together.
In retrospective documentary Gavin & Stacey: A Fond Farewell, Jones said: "Once Smithy and Nessa got together, that really is the end. Because we can never see them actually living together."
Corden added: "No, it just won’t work."
All episodes of Gavin & Stacey, plus Gavin & Stacey: A Fond Farewell, are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.
Louise Griffin is the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Editor for Radio Times, covering everything from Doctor Who, Star Wars and Marvel to House of the Dragon and Good Omens. She previously worked at Metro as a Senior Entertainment Reporter and has a degree in English Literature.
