The BBC has shared new photos of the upcoming Gavin & Stacey Christmas special.
After five years off screen, the Shipman and West families are returning to screens in a 2024 festive episode, airing on BBC One on Christmas Day at 9pm.
In the new photos, fans can see Gavin, Stacey, Nessa and Smithy giggling with the likes of Gwen, Jason and Uncle Bryn in what appears to be a festive gathering at Pam and Mick's home in Billericay, Essex.
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One photo sees Nessa (Ruth Jones) and Stacey (Joanna Page) dancing back-to-back in Pam and Mick's living room, while another sees Smithy (James Corden) collapsed in hysterics on the sofa alongside Gavin (Mathew Horne), Nessa and Jason (Robert Wilfort).
It looks like the West family have left Barry and travelled to Essex for their Christmas Day celebrations, with Uncle Bryn (Rob Brydon) relying on his old faithful Citroën C4 Picasso for the journey.
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Joining them for the road trip is Gavin, with him, Stacey and their growing family relocating to Wales at the end of series three after Gavin got a new job in Cardiff.
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"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," reads the official synopsis of the anticipated episode.
Meanwhile, Nessa has also "started a new business venture" and Neil the Baby is "about to begin an apprenticeship with his dad".
A new photo of Alison Steadman shows a stressed Pam who has her plate full "playing hostess" for this year's festivities, understandably "not helped by a newly retired Mick practising his golf swings in the living room.
Nevertheless, it looks like Pam has a chance to let her hair down during the celebrations, dancing with Bryn and partaking in what appears to be a 'limbo' competition.
Related: BBC reveals first official look at Gavin & Stacey's return
Gavin & Stacey viewers are hoping that the Christmas special, billed as the last-ever episode, will also provide some much needed answers.
The episode takes place five years after Nessa got down on one knee to Smithy in the 2019 Christmas special, asking him to marry her. Did the two end up tying the knot?
There's also a tease that fans will finally learn what happened on that fishing trip, an ongoing storyline involving Uncle Bryn and his nephew Jason, the details of which have been long shrouded in mystery.
"What people are going to see on Christmas Day is the culmination of a 20-year love story, which hopefully shows, if nothing else, that love is complicated and messy and for everyone," Smithy actor and co-creator James Corden teased in a recent interview.
Following the Christmas special, a documentary titled 'A Fond Farewell' will air on New Year's Day to celebrate "one of Britain's best loved sitcoms as it comes to an end after 17 years".
Gavin & Stacey series 1-3 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer. The Gavin & Stacey 2024 Christmas special will air at 9pm on Christmas Day on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Emily is an experienced freelance entertainment writer and editor, reporting on all things TV, film, soaps and showbiz. An NCTJ-qualified journalist, with a First Class Honours degree in Journalism from the University of Sussex, Emily is a former Deputy News Editor and Evening News Editor at Digital Spy. She has previously worked at Hello magazine, BBC South News and GoodtoKnow.
A small and big-screen obsessive – with subscriptions to every TV and film service under the sun – Emily knows her movie stars from soap stars, and is always clued up on the latest reality show dumping, just-dropped trailer or off-screen spat. She's interviewed a number of celebrities over the years, with highlights including The Masked Singer host Joel Dommett and GMB's Kate Garraway (who "loved" her trousers).
Emily counts Sharon Horgan and Julia Davis as her TV heroes, and is a loyal Wes Anderson fan. LinkedIn
