The BBC has dropped a first look at the of , as the special takes place five years on from the previous instalment.
The beloved series aired between 2007 and 2010 and returned in 2019 with a one-off festive episode that ended on a cliff-hanger when Vanessa Shanessa ‘Nessa’ Jenkins () proposed to Neil ‘Smithy’ Smith ().
After months of speculation, the co-creators revealed their storyline, and that of Gavin () and Stacey (), would be returning to screens once again for one last episode.
Details of the special have been kept tightly under wraps until now, though the cast have been spotted in Wales filming, and chatshow host James teased .
We still have yet to find out whether Nessa and Smithy tied the knot, and their future with their son ‘Baby Neil’.
Another massive mystery also remains, as fans have been desperate to know what ever actually happened on , after it was continuously referenced by Stacey’s Uncle Bryn (Rob Brydon) and his nephew Jason (Robert Wilfort).
Teasing the return, the BBC shared an image of Mathew and Joanna as Gavin and Stacey, as well as James and Ruth as their characters standing beside a wall, echoing the first season image.
The corporation said that the 2024 Christmas special sees Gavin and Stacey ‘looking for new ways to spice up their 17-year marriage’, while Nessa begins a new business venture.
It also sees Rob as Uncle Bryn getting his Citroen Xsara Picasso ready on Barry Island in Wales for a trip to Essex, as his sister-in-law Gwen West has been ‘behaving most strangely’, and Neil the Baby is set to start an ‘apprenticeship with his dad’.
The BBC would not comment on whether the father referred to is Smithy or Dave Coaches (Steffan Rhodri).
In Essex town Billericay, Gavin’s father Michael ‘Mick’ Shipman (Larry Lamb) is upsetting his uptight wife Pamela Andrea ‘Pam’ Shipman (Alison Steadman) as she is about to play hostess.
There will also be continued marital problems for Peter Sutcliffe (Adrian Scarborough) and his wife, Dawn Sutcliffe (Julia Davis).
‘Join us on the journey to Barry and Billericay as we catch up with the Shipmans and the Wests for the very last time and maybe find out what exactly did happen on that fishing trip,’ the corporation said.
The show was co-created by Ruth and James, and the 90-minute special is written and executively produced by them.
In September, .
In a video previously shared to social media, Ruth addressed the cheering crowd for one last time, saying: ‘Thank you so much for coming here today and being so patient because you haven’t seen anything because we’ve been indoors!
‘But it shows that you are true committed fans of the show and we hope that you won’t be disappointed on Christmas Day when all will be revealed.’
She went on: ‘It’s our farewell to Barry and to Trinity Street.
‘You won’t be seeing us here anymore. But we’ve had a wonderful 17 years. It’s been fantastic.’
‘Thank you very much for everything, we’ll see you soon,’ James added.
The 2019 Christmas episode 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.
Gavin and Stacey: The Finale will air on Christmas Day on BBC One and iPlayer, with timings to be announced soon.
