The last ever episode of BBC sitcom Gavin and Stacey will be shown on Christmas Day this year, the broadcaster has said.
The show’s writers James Corden and Ruth Jones posed in a picture with a script entitled “Gavin & Stacey: the finale”.
The final instalment of the hit comedy will air on BBC One and iPlayer.
Posting on X, the BBC cited an episode from season three of Gavin and Stacey, saying, “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 & Stacey!!!”
In a separate Instagram post, Corden wrote: “Some news… It’s official!!! We have finished writing the last ever episode of Gavin & Stacey. See you on Christmas Day, BBC One. Love Ruth and James.”
The hit TV series last aired during a festive special just under five years ago, leaving viewers on a cliffhanger. It saw Jones’s character, Nessa, who had an on-off relationship with Corden’s character, Smithy, propose in the final moments of the Christmas special.
When the episode aired it scored the highest overnight Christmas ratings in 12 years, attracting around 11.6 million viewers. By the new year, it had been viewed by an estimated 17.1 million people, making it the biggest scripted programme of the decade, at the time of release.
The special also went on to win the impact award at the National Television Awards in 2020.
Jones had previously rejected claims there would be a follow-up episode, telling RTE in February the speculation was “sadly a rumour”.
“It’s lovely that people love it and they’re so desperate for it,” she said. “Because, like, imagine if it was the opposite, and they were like: ‘Oh god, they’re not bringing that back’.”
Jones added: “If there was something to say on that front, James [Corden] and I would happily announce it.”
Friday’s revelation also comes after reports Netflix was at the centre of a bidding war, with one source telling The Sun earlier this year how Netflix had “made it very, very explicit that they want to air [the final episode]”.
The comedy followed the two titular characters Gavin & Stacey, played by Mathew Horne and Joanna Page, as they pursued a relationship across Essex and Wales.
Other stars included Rob Brydon, Melanie Walters, Alison Steadman and Larry Lamb.
It originally ran for three series between 2007 and 2010, becoming one of the BBC’s most successful sitcoms and was named the 17th-greatest British sitcom in a poll by Radio Times.
The show won various awards, including a Bafta and a British Comedy Award for Best TV Comedy.
After wrapping up production in 2010, Corden went on to host the American talk show The Late Late Show until 2023.
Gavin & Stacey series 1 to 3 and the last Christmas episode are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.