More than five years after leaving fans on a cliffhanger, it was recently revealed that Gavin & Stacey would be returning to screens.
The BBC comedy, which was first released in 2007, launched the careers of James Corden and Mathew Horne and became one of the country’s most beloved sitcoms.
It followed the story of Mathew’s Gavin Shipman and Joanna Page’s Stacey West relationship as their families – from Essex and Barry Island respectively – got to know each other.
After initially wrapping up in 2010, the show came back in 2019 for a one-off Christmas special and ended on a dramatic cliffhanger as Ruth’s Nessa got down on one knee to propose to James’ Smithy.
After rumours started swirling that a reunion was on the cards, the cast shut down reports they were getting back together, but it was then announced in May another episode was indeed on the cards.
Although there is much excitement about the cast teaming up again, for years there have also been rumours that two of the stars have been embroiled in a ‘feud’.
Did James Corden and Mathew Horne have a feud?
First working together on Gavin & Stacey, James and Matthew then went on to collaborate several times after that.
In 2007 they presented the Big Brother spin-off show Big Brother’s Big Mouth and were then regulars for the run covering E4’s Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack.
They presented the NME Shockwaves Awards together in 2008 and a section of Comic Relief in March 2009, going on to appear in the BBC sketch show Horne & Corden the same year.
In 2009 the pair also starred in comedy horror film Lesbian Vampire Killers. However, that project was considered a flop, with some critics labelling it ‘awful’ and James later calling it a ‘pile of s***’.
That year didn’t get much better, with their job presenting the Brits also being panned.
As their joint career projects failed to take off, they called it quits on teaming up, and soon rumours of a feud started swirling.
After James found success on the West End stage in One Man, Two Guvnors, his career then went to new heights when taking over as the host of The Late Late Show in 2015.
Meanwhile, Mathew remained in the UK, working on TV projects.
During an appearance on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories in 2011, James discussed their relationship and admitted they had drifted apart.
After being asked if they kept in touch, he responded: ‘Err, we talk occasionally, yeah.’
Piers then revealed that Mathew was asked to take part in the programme but chose not to, with James sharing: ‘I didn’t know that, but I can understand.’
He went on to share that although they ‘never fell out’, he regretted that they ‘rushed’ their string of failed projects.
‘We did our own sketch show but the reaction was fierce. It was hard to go through that. We were riding this amazing wave and then it just dropped. In one year, we spent 263 days together and we went from that to nothing,’ he said.
Eight years later, when Gavin & Stacey returned to screens, Mathew also weighed in, saying the claims of a fall-out were ‘made up’ but didn’t elaborate.
However, he did once tell The Times the rumours had ‘snowballed’ after James’ interview with Piers.
I didn’t go on that show because I was filming out of London, and they could only film my interview on one day, and I couldn’t do it. The other reason is that I dislike Piers Morgan and everything he stands for,’ he said.
‘The truth is that there was never any rift, and everything is fine. James and I have always been friends and we always will be.’
Are James Corden and Mathew Horne friends now?
Although it is unclear if the performers have rekindled their once-close friendship, they do follow each other on social media and will soon be back on set together.
What have James Corden and Mathew Horne said about their Gavin & Stacey Christmas special?
Last year, Mathew shut down speculation of a Gavin & Stacey reunion, admitting it would be difficult to get some ‘successful people’ on board.
He then said that fans wanting the comedy to return was ‘not enough of a reason’, adding the writers wanted to ‘make sure they have a story’ before committing to the project.
But after months of speculation, James and Ruth shocked fans last week when they finally shared the exciting update.
‘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!,’ they posted on social media alongside a selfie with a script.
Re-sharing the post, Matthew wrote: ‘Happy Christmas.’
Meanwhile, Joanna Page posted: ‘Oh my God it’s happening! So excited! Last ever Gavin And Stacey! Christmas Day @bbcone Can’t wait to start filming!’
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Gavin & Stacey is streaming on BBC iPlayer.
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