Gavin and Stacey 'to return for Christmas special five years after cliffhanger ending'

Beloved British sitcom Gavin & Stacey is reportedly set to return to the BBC for a Christmas special, five years on from a dramatic cliffhanger.

Created by James Corden and Ruth Jones, the comedy followed the two titular characters, played by Mathew Horne and Joanna Page, as they pursued a relationship across Essex and Wales.

The show ran for three series from 2007 to 2010, returning in 2019 for a festive special which 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.

Ruth Jones, who played Nessa Jenkins, and James Corden, who was Neil ‘Smithy’ Smith, wrote and starred in Gavin & Stacey (Tom Jackson/BBC/PA) PA Media

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.

The Christmas special in 2019 picked up ten 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.

Gavin & Stacey won the impact award at the National Television Awards in 2020 (Ian West/PA) PA Media

Corden became friends with his co-star and co-creator Jones after they both appeared in the ITV drama Fat Friends.

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 currently and that it will be produced by Steve Coogan’s Baby Cow, Jones’ Tidy Productions and Fulwell 73, which is co-owned by Corden.

The BBC declined to comment.