Gavin And Stacey creator Ruth Jones has said the leaking of the show’s forthcoming final episode was “really mean”.
It was announced earlier this month the much-loved sitcom will conclude on Christmas Day 2024 on BBC One and iPlayer, following leaked reports that another special was in the works in February.
“James [Corden] and I wanted to give everybody a nice surprise and I think it was really mean that they leaked it,” Jones said of the leak to BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. “Because also it meant that I had to lie to people, to friends and family, because they were all saying ‘is it happening?’
“And the reality is that until you have your cast booked, budget worked out, all of those things, you cannot say categorically that it is going to happen.”
‘Until you know for definite that it can happen, you can’t say anything’
Ruth Jones tells @BBCNuala why she thought it was “mean” that details of the Gavin and Stacey Christmas special were leaked to the press
— BBC Woman’s Hour (@BBCWomansHour) May 28, 2024
The last episode of Gavin and Stacey aired on Christmas Day in 2019. It ended on a cliffhanger; Nessa (Jones) proposed to Smithy (Corden), with the scene concluding before he could give an answer.
Confirming that the forthcoming Christmas special will be the last episode, Jones added: “I’m so thrilled by how much people love it. It’s a huge, huge compliment. It will be the end. Will people still say to me: ‘Is there going to be any more Gavin And Stacey?’ I don’t know because they’ve been asking that question for years and I’ve said ‘no’, because until you know for definite that it can happen you can’t say anything.”
Jones, who is currently starring as Mother Superior in Sister Act on London’s West End, also spoke about the moment she and Corden came together to confirm Gavin And Stacey‘s finale.
“We took a photo in my dressing room in the Dominion Theatre, because James is rehearsing for a play, I’m in Sister Act on the night, so the only time we had was this 20 minute window.
“He had to come to my dressing room after rehearsals and took a picture of us with the script and that was literally the first day we were actually able to say ‘yes it’s happening’. So we told [the public] when we knew for sure.”
We’ll have: A chicken bhuna, lamb bhuna, prawn bhuna, mushroom rice, bag of chips, keema naan, nine poppadoms and the last ever episode of Gavin and Stacey!!!
Coming this Christmas Day on @BBCOne and @BBCiPlayer
Read https://t.co/KFoEMfZRy2 pic.twitter.com/6rEUnZ1Moc
— BBC Press Office (@bbcpress) May 3, 2024
In a five-star review of the 2019 special, NME wrote: “Corden and Jones have crafted a near-perfect celebration of everything that made the show so great in the first place. Die-hard fans might have minor quibbles with a lack of character progression, but it’s clear Corden and Jones have resurrected their beloved baby with hugely successful results.
“Time will tell whether a more permanent return to Barry is on the cards, but without saying anything else, we certainly wouldn’t rule it out. All will become clear.”
It was reported that 11.6million fans tuned in at the time – breaking the show’s own viewing record, and becoming the biggest festive ratings success in over 10 years.
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