It’s been three Christmasses since we last saw Gavin & Stacey’s Billericay and Barry gang on our screens – and it looks like it could be many more before they return.
Yes, despite the huge success of the 2019 special, which saw more than 17 million people tune in to catch up with the titular couple and their friends and family, it doesn’t look like Gavin & Stacey will be back for a Christmas special this year.
There is some hope the comedy will do so in future, however. James Corden, who pens the series alongside Ruth Jones, is moving back to the UK in summer 2023.
“We’ve got nothing in the diary to get writing, but I think we will definitely write something together again, because I think that it would be a shame not to,” Jones told Times Radio’s Mariella Frostrup.
She added: “Obviously with him coming back to the UK then we’ve got more chance of getting together. There are no plans to write more Gavin & Stacey… I like the idea of leaving it where we left it, if I’m honest.”
So, when can we expect it to return? And where can you watch the 2019 special in the meantime? Read on to find out.
Will there be a Gavin and Stacey Christmas special in 2022?
Unfortunately not. Jones, who plays Nessa in the series, confirmed the news to Times Radio. She did, however, offer some hope for future specials now that James Corden is moving back to the UK.
Actor Larry Lamb, who plays Gavin’s dad Mick Shipman, recently told Essex Live that, should another special be greenlit, it would take a while to make.
“As to whether there will be another one; it takes such a long time to get it all together. It takes them about a year to write it, to get it pushed through the system to where that’s the finished item, and then to gather everybody together to do it. There certainly won’t be a Christmas special this year, that’s for sure,” he explained.
Will the 2019 Gavin and Stacey Christmas special be shown this year?
![""]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2019/12/19316731-low_res-gavin-and-stacey-2a220a8.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"\"")
The 2019 Christmas special currently doesn’t appear to feature in the BBC’s festive schedule, but that could change – and we’ll update this page if it does.
You can however watch it, as well as the comedy’s three full seasons and the 2008 Christmas special, on BBC iPlayer.
What happened in the 2019 Gavin and Stacey Christmas special?
The special left much up in the air, from what happened in the boat trip to whether Smithy (Corden) said yes when Nessa got down on one knee and proposed.
Before all that, however, the special caught up with the main gang 10 years after the last episode aired, with the Shipmans and the Wests headed to Wales for the festive season.
Gwen and Bryn were on hosting duties, and we learned that Gavin (Mathew Horne) and Stacey (Joanna Page) are still married and now have three lovely children.
Smithy comes to Wales often to see his son Neil and co-parent with Nessa, which obviously makes for some hilarious moments, especially when Smithy’s new girlfriend Sonia is added to the mix.
Of course, the pair managed to work things out. Or at least it appeared that way, since we don’t know whether they actually got engaged at the end of the episode.
Looking for something else to watch? Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what’s on tonight.
The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast.