Gavin and Stacey came to its emotional end with a feature-length finale on Christmas night. Seventeen years after the much-loved BBC comedy arrived on our screens, its climax was the most eagerly anticipated 90 minutes of the festive schedules. Thankfully, it didn’t disappoint.
Five years after its last outing broke ratings records – the 2019 special was watched by 18.5m people, more than a quarter of the UK population – the saga’s conclusion attracted mammoth viewing figures once more. It was watched live by 12.3m, the highest festive figures since 2008 and the biggest non-sports ratings of 2024. That number is expected to grow to near 20m as viewers catch up on iPlayer. Tidy.
Mathew Horne, who plays Gavin, teased it as “the perfect ending” to the Anglo-Welsh romcom and it wasn’t far off. Viewers flocked to social media and seemed happy. Five-star reviews followed. Co-creators and co-stars James Corden and Ruth Jones stuck the landing.
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The pair also included plenty of in-jokes and knowing nods for fans to discover. Here’s your handy rundown of 10 hidden treats in the hit show’s feelgood farewell…
Why Neil the Baby sang
Oscar Hartland has been playing Nessa and Smithy’s son, “Neil the Baby”, for 15 years – ever since he was an actual baby. He’s now a strapping 17-year-old, with the character set to start a plumbing apprenticeship with his father. In the finale, he performed an emotional acoustic version of The Beatles’ “Blackbird” at Smithy and Sonia’s wedding ceremony.
In real-life, Hartland has opted to pursue a career in music rather than acting. He’s a part-time DJ, was in grunge rock band Redwood City and auditioned as a solo artist on The Voice Kids last year. In character as Nessa, Ruth Jones sent him a good luck message on the ITV singing contest: “Oh, Neil the Baby, what’s occurin’? Don’t forget you take after your mother when it comes to music. You go out there and you smash it, kid, alright!? Crackin’!”
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Jones and Corden duly decided to showcase Hartland’s talents in the finale. Jones didn’t appear in the scene but was behind the camera and cried while watching him.
Gavin got shirty
Eagle-eyed football fans were thrilled to spot one subtle detail. When the male characters assembled for Smithy’s stag party, they took off their jackets to reveal that they were all wearing West Ham United shirts – or full Hammers kit, in Uncle Bryn’s case – with number 16 on the back. This was a tribute to Smithy’s favourite player, team-captain-turned-sporting-director Mark Noble. A 16 shirt was also worn by Smithy’s son, Neil the Baby, in the 2019 reunion special.
However, best man Gavin’s finale shirt had a twist. Unlike his closest pal, Gavin is a Tottenham Hotspur fan and clearly couldn’t bring himself to wear a West Ham badge so close to his heart. His shirt had a Spurs badge sewn on top. These fictional allegiances are echoed in real life – Horne is a Tottenham season ticket holder, while Corden is a devoted Hammers fan.
Fateful fishing trip teased one last time
It has been a running mystery throughout the show. What happened 30 years ago on that cursed fishing trip between Stacey’s elder brother Jason (Robert Wilfort) and Uncle Bryn (Rob Brydon)? There have been dark hints at something sexual, with them protesting that it’s “not even illegal in this country”. Every time viewers have been about to find out, some plot contrivance has interrupted the characters.
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The last ever episode danced around the subject again, with Dave Coaches (Steffan Rhodri) admitting that he knew the truth. Just as he was about to tell all, there was yet another interruption. As actor Wilfort recently explained: “I’d like to say now and forever: the joke has always been you don’t find out what happened on the fishing trip. It’s funnier that way.” We agree. Still frustrating, though.
Don’t be so corny
A romantically charged scene in the finale comes when the gang stop at a KFC drive-thru for a family feast bucket after the respective hen and stag dos. When Gavin innocently asks if anyone wants to order corn-on-the-cob, Smith and Nessa exchange knowing looks, become visibly tense and exit the taxi.
Nessa says she “maybe” fancies a corn-on-the-cob. Smithy admits that he wants one too. It was an echo of their comically steamy moment in series two, when the pair seductively ate corn-on-the-cob together, before giving in to their mutual attraction. Smithy alludes to still having those feelings but it’s one of several near-misses during the finale.
Gwen’s omelette obsession
Stacey’s mother Gwen (Melanie Walters) is known for cooking one thing and one thing only. Omelettes. Over the past 17 years, she’s offered them to guests, made them for journeys and served turkey omelettes at Christmas. She even whipped one up for Nessa while she was giving birth. “I never get tired of these omelettes, Gwen,” said brother-in-law Bryn.
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It felt only right, then, for Stacey to call up the stairs in the finale: “Mam, will you make me and Ness an omelette?” This innocent request led to the revelation of Gwen’s covert romance with Dave Coaches, a blazing row with Bryn and that near-reveal of the fishing trip truth. Naturally, this was averted by a smoke alarm going off in the kitchen and Gwen exclaiming “Oh my god, the omelettes!” Eggs to the rescue again.
Saucy tribute to neighbour Doris
Actress Margaret John, who played Gwen’s outrageous octogenarian next door neighbour Doris, sadly died in 2011. The finale included an affectionate nod to the cult character.
Doris always subverted “little old lady” stereotypes with her blue language, rock’n’ roll antics and active sex life. Her last mention was equally cheeky as Gwen reminisced: “Doris used to hire a male stripper on a Sunday morning. Just for herself. After church.” “Aww, what was she like?” sighed Dawn (Julia Davis).
Dave Coaches’ sweet talk
Barry’s local bus-driving lothario has a way with words. When he and Nessa nearly married in 2010, Dave Coaches stepped aside at the altar with a gentlemanly declaration of “It’s been a blast, sugar t***”.
In last night’s finale, he’d found heart-warming new love with Gwen, telling her: “Love you, sugar t***.” Compliments clearly come no higher.
Pam’s greatest hits
As Gavin’s doting but chaotic mother Pam, actress Alison Steadman has long been a scene-stealer. During the finale, she harked back to several of her most memorable moments. Exasperated with recently retired husband Mick (Larry Lamb) loitering around the house, watching Sky Sports and practising his golf putting, she snapped: “You’ve got to get out more. See your friends. Get a life.” It recalled Pam once telling her daughter-in-law: “Not being funny, Stace, but you want to get a life. What you said just then was really boring.”
Another of Pam’s catchphrases was “Oh my Christ”. She did a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it silent one during the finale, croakily mouthing the words after downing a shot of 95 per cent proof Swedish vodka. Pam also slapped her friend Dawn around the face to calm her down, just like she did in the restaurant loos in series two. Don’t go changing, Pam-e-lar.
“Great news, Owain Hughes”
When the Welsh contingent are loading Uncle Bryn’s car for the drive to Essex, Gavin and Bryn chorus a catchphrase of “Great news, Owain Hughes.” This was a reference to Gavin’s former colleague, played by Steve Meo, whose name became a running joke. He introduced himself to Gav in series three as: “Owain Hughes. And before you ask: No, I don’t!” Gav looked baffled. Even Uncle Bryn seemed to be in on the gag, later meeting him and saying: “Owain Hughes! And do you?” To which Owain replied: “No, I don’t.”
Fans have long scratched their heads over its meaning, speculating that it was a pun on owing money to someone called Wayne Hughes (as in “I don’t owe Wayne Hughes”). Meo recently admitted it was “a red herring, designed to wind people up and spark debate”. Co-writers Jones and Corden included it in the finale as one last flourish, hence Gavin adding: “Once you know, you know.”
A breath of fresh air
Another fleeting in-joke came when Nessa left for a weekend in Billericay with just a small carrier bag. She explained that she’d packed all the essentials (“got my HRT and feminine wipes, I’m sorted”). Asked if she’d brought a toothbrush, Nessa replied that she’d brought a packet of Tic-Tacs instead – just like the 2007 launch episode, when she and Stacey first went to London.
Another hark back to the debut episode came when Sonia (Laura Aikman) found Smithy’s “Beers from around the world” chart while clearing out a bedroom for Neil the Baby. The map was first mentioned when he and Gavin enjoyed German pilsners on the train to Leicester Square, where they would meet Stacey and Nessa for the first time. Bottoms up.
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