The beloved British TV sitcom Gavin and Stacey is reportedly set to return to the BBC for a Christmas special, five years on from a dramatic cliffhanger, according to reports.
Created by James Corden and Ruth Jones, the comedy followed the two titular characters, played by Matthew Horne and Joanna Page, as they pursued a relationship across Billericay in Essex and seaside town, Barry in Wales.
The show ran for three series from 2007 to 2010, returning in 2019 for a festive special that ended with an unanswered marriage proposal.
At the climax of the episode, Nessa, played by Jones, got down on one knee to propose to Smithy, played by Corden, but viewers did not get to hear his response.
The pair had an on-off relationship and even had a baby together.
The show also starred Alison Steadman and Larry Lamb as Gavin’s mother, Pam, and father, Mick, while Melanie Walters and Rob Brydon portrayed Stacey’s widowed mother, Gwen, and her eccentric uncle, Bryn.
During its time, it graduated from BBC Three to BBC One and picked up multiple accolades including both Bafta and British Comedy Awards.
At the height of the show’s fame in 2009, Brydon earned a UK No 1 alongside Sir Tom Jones and Robin Gibb for the song (Barry) Islands in the stream, released in aid of Comic Relief.
The Christmas special in 2019 picked up 10 years after the previous instalment and revealed that Gavin and Stacey now have three children, while Smithy and Nessa were successfully co-parenting their son, Neil.
It scored the highest overnight Christmas ratings in 12 years, attracting an average audience of 11.6 million viewers, making it the biggest festive special since Christmas Day 2008.
By the new year, it had been viewed by 17.1 million people, making it the biggest scripted programme of the decade at the time.
The special also went on to win the impact award at the National Television Awards in 2020.
Corden became friends with his co-star and co-creator Jones after they both appeared in the ITV drama Fat Friends.
The US outlet Deadline has reported that the sitcom is set to film a new episode over the summer with the plan to air it at Christmas, five years on from the last special.
It has claimed that the series is in development/pre-production stages and that it will be produced by Steve Coogan’s Baby Cow, Jones’ Tidy Productions and Fulwell 73, which is co-owned by Corden.
Corden had quit the CBS Late Late Show and Carpool Karaoke last year after an eigh-year stint in the US.
He had been fronting a weekly Sirius XM audio show, titled This Life of Mine, with James Corden, which has had guest appearances with public figures such as Martin Scorsese, Kim Kardashian and David Beckham.
The BBC and Fulwell 73 have declined to comment.
