Gavin & Stacey spoilers follow for the 2024 Christmas special.
Gavin & Stacey took fans on an emotional journey with its newly released festive special, giving the characters from Essex and Barry the send-off they deserved.
The comedy created by Ruth Jones and James Corden bowed out with an episode aired on Christmas Day.
Building on the cliffhanger of the previous special — seeing Nessa (Jones) proposing to Smithy (Corden), aka her on-again, off-again lover and the father of her child — the new episode finally saw the maybe-couple realise their true feelings for each other.
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17 years after it first introduced the gang, Gavin & Stacey gave viewers what they've been wanting all along, though the show took a longwinded, twisty way to get there.
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In the new scenes, we learned that Smithy never gave Nessa a proper answer to her marriage proposal and still intended to tie the knot with his fiancée Sonia (Laura Aikman).
However, Smithy finally had a wake-up call when all of his loved ones, including titular lovebirds Gavin and Stacey, took it upon themselves to disrupt the ceremony.
Cue a mad rush to stop Nessa before she boards the cargo ship and another proposal, this time from Smithy.
The finale delighted long-time and new fans of the series with a low-key wedding for the couple, who refused to kiss on their big day and went for a hug instead.
"Gavin & Stacey finale was brilliant. Don't listen to the haters. It was brilliant," one person noted on BlueSky.
"Too often, a series ends on a whimper. That finale to Gavin & Stacey was perfect," was another comment.
"Well that Gavin & Stacey finale was fantastic. Hats off to you Ruth Jones and James Corden… that sewed together 17 years beautifully, with so many amazing nods to culture and series of old 👏🏽👏🏽 #GavinandStacey," a third fan wrote.
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Viewers also shared their experiences growing up watching the show and how much it meant to them for the series to end on such a wholesome note.
"Grew up watching Gavin and Stacey. Got a Welsh father and an English mam. When I went to uni in England, everyone and their brother did Nessa quotes at me. When I get home sick for Wales, I put Gavin and Stacey on," one fan wrote.
"Tonight I feel like I've said goodbye to a member of my family 😭 The perfect finale."
"I've been watching Gavin and Stacey since I was 18," was another comment. "it's always been about Smithy and Nessa."
Despite the outpouring of love from fans, it looks like there won't be any more Gavin & Stacey beyond the special.
Corden seemingly shut the door on a continuation of the show, saying "it can't carry on after [the special]"
"We can't see a way how it could," he said on BBC Breakfast ahead of the special making the air. "You'll have to wait and see!"
The Gavin & Stacey 2024 Christmas special aired at 9pm on Christmas Day on BBC One and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Gavin & Stacey series 1-3 are available on the same platform.
Reporter, Digital Spy
Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).
