Gavin and Stacey finally came to an end with a feature-length festive finale on Wednesday, with fans quick to laud the ‘perfect’ conclusion.
Despite being 17 years since the BBC comedy first hit screens it proved it hadn’t lost its pulling power, with a whopping 12.5 million viewers tuning in and making it the most watched show on Christmas Day.
The series, which was created by stars James Corden and Ruth Jones, concluded with on/off lovers Smithy and Nessa finally declaring their love for one another and tying the knot, but not without a few hiccups along the way.
And in true finale form, the episode contained many Easter Eggs for fans to discover, with references to previous long-running jokes and memorable scenes.
Sprinkled throughout the finale were echoes of old episodes, recreations of famous moments and mentions of previously well-known characters.
And the hidden treats for fans certainly went down well for viewers, who rushed to social media to praise the ‘perfect’ ending.
Now MailOnline has revealed all the biggest Easter Eggs that James and Ruth hid in the finale.
Gavin and Stacey finally came to an end with a feature-length festive finale on Wednesday, with fans quick to laud the ‘perfect’ conclusion, 17 years after the iconic BBC comedy first hit screens
The series, which debuted back in 2007 after being created by stars James Corden and Ruth Jones, concluded with on/off lovers Smithy and Nessa finally declaring their love for one another and tying the knot, but not without a few hiccups along the way (pictured)
Corn-on-the-cob
A very charged moment in the finale sees Gavin, Stacey, Smithy and Nessa stop at KFC to enjoy a family bucket.
But when Gavin asks if Smithy and Nessa want a corn-on-the-cob, the pair become visibly tense as they and the viewers remember their steamy moment in series two episode three.
The memorable scene had seen the pair give into their mutual attraction while seductively enjoying a corn-on-the-cob together.
Recalling the moment in the finale, Smithy and Nessa lock eyes before they both decide to exit the car and Smithy echoes the lines from last time, as he admits he wants to say yes to a corn-on-the-cob.
When Gavin asks if Smithy and Nessa want a corn-on-the-cob, the pair become visibly tense as they and the viewers remember their steamy moment in series two episode three (pictured)
The memorable scene had seen the pair give into their mutual attraction while seductively enjoying a corn-on-the-cob together
Tic Tacs
A quick blink-and-you’ll-miss it reference, came when Nessa explained everything she’d packed to stay at Pam and Mick’s for Smithy’s pre-stag celebrations.
Revealing she had her HRT medication and feminine wipes, she was asked if she’d brought a toothbrush.
And repeating what she’d said in the very first episode when she and Stacey went to London, Nessa replied she’d brought Tic-Tacs in the place of a toothbrush.
A quick blink-and-you’ll-miss it reference, came when Nessa explained everything she’d packed to stay at Pam and Mick’s for Smithy’s pre-stag celebrations (pictured)
Beer map of the world
Another throwback to the first episode came when Sonia discovers Smithy and Gavin’s map of beers of the world while clearing a room out for Neil.
The map was first referenced by Smithy when he and Gavin are travelling to London to meet Stacey and Nessa for the first time.
The pair enjoy a German beer on the train, which Smithy ranks at an 8.5, before angrily berating Gavin for being distracted from their pledge to taste every beer around the world in 12 months.
However, when Sonia asks him what it is, Smithy dismisses the map and pretends it was nothing important.
Another throwback to the first episode came when Sonia discovers Smithy and Gavin’s map of beers of the world while clearing a room out for Neil
The map was first referenced by Smithy when he and Gavin are travelling to London to meet Stacey and Nessa for the first time, where Smithy angrily berates Gavin for being distracted from their pledge to taste every beer around the world in 12 months
Hen party stripper
The women all decide to hire a surprise stripper for Sonia’s hen do, which doesn’t go down too well with the bride.
This is in direct contrast to the first series, where Stacey has a surprise stripper at her own hen do and has a very different reaction.
Joanna had previously recalled her time filming the scene in a bonus episode of her Off The Telly podcast with pal Natalie Cassidy in June.
She recalled that the man they enlisted to perform a striptease for Stacey was a real stripper called Top Boy, and confessed that he enlisted the help of an elastic band to boost his manhood during the saucy scene.
‘That was one of our favourite ever days of filming, because they got a real-life stripper in for Stacey’s hen party,’ Joanna said.
‘We were all dressed up as schoolgirls for starters so there was mild hysteria for starters, and then they got this stripped in and his name was Toy Boy, and he had this black leather thong on with in little crytals, the letters TB for Toy Boy, and I just remember the director saying ‘let’s do a walkthrough of what you think.”
‘So I always remember he put on Tom Jones‘ Sex Bomb, he jumped on the air and started humping on my lap, I was in utter hysteria at this point!
‘And then he stood in front of me and he whipped his trousers off, and I just remember, there was this black thong so close to my face, and then in one move he went [whoosh] and the whole shebang came off.
‘The whole lot came off, I was enjoying myself I couldn’t stop laughing I was in shock.’
After they finishing running through the scene, Joanna said she knew ‘something was wrong,’ as the stripped said he needed to into the toilets and ‘get himself ready.’
She added: ‘The really professional producer Lindsey came right up to me before they shouted action, and she whispered in my ear, ”he’s got an elastic band wrapped round it.” And then ran off and yelled ”action!”
‘So I was just sat there thinking ‘an elastic band, elastic band.’
‘Then it got to the bit and he whipped it off and he had, he’d gone to the toilet to get himself pumped up, and then he tied an elastic band around it, and that’s all I remember, the elastic band!’
This is in direct contrast to the first series, where Stacey has a surprise stripper at her own hen do and has a very different reaction (pictured)
Joanna had previously recalled her time filming the scene in a bonus episode of her Off The Telly podcast with pal Natalie Cassidy in June
Foam Party
Meanwhile, Smithy’s stag do sees the stags go down memory lane, as they visit significant places of his life.
And the night ends back at a foam party, just like the one they go on in a night in series two, when Gavin and Stacey’s marriage was in turmoil.
The last foam party saw Smithy more excited than ever as he jumps up and down and admits he can’t wait for the foam to drop, before throwing himself into the bubbles.
However, this was worlds away from the finale’s foam party, which saw Smithy left disappointed by his friends leaving early and the number of teenagers at the club.
And the night ends back at a foam party, just like the one they go on in a night in series two, when Gavin and Stacey’s marriage was in turmoil (pictured)
The last foam party saw Smithy more excited than ever as he jumps up and down and admits he can’t wait for the foam to drop, before throwing himself into the bubbles
Big Fat Sue
Big Fat Sue is a long running character on the show, who is mentioned but never actually appears on screen.
She’s a friend of Pam’s and everyone refers to her as Big Fat Sue, including Dawn, but Pam calls her Susan to he face to be polite.
Pam also reveals she ate four cheese burgers with Big Fat Sue at a car wash.
However, it is revealed in the finale that Big Fat Sue is fat no more, after undergoing a tummy tuck in Turkey and dropping two sizes.
Big Fat Sue is a long running character on the show, who is mentioned but never actually appears on screen, as a friend of Pam’s
Smithy runs to find Nessa
One sweet throwback moment comes during the romantic ending of the finale, when Smithy leaves Sonia at the altar to chase down Nessa.
As he and the rest of the gang race to the docks to find her before she leaves on her ship, it echoes the series two episode when Smithy races to get to her in time for her to give birth to Neil the Baby.
In the finale, he comes across a sign with directions for the different ports and admits he can’t understand any of it.
And fans can help but see the similarities to when he arrives at the hospital with Gavin and cries that all the signs are in ‘bloody Welsh’ and fumes: ‘How are you supposed to read the signs?’ before Gavin helpfully points out they’re in English too.
Luckily, the finale sees Smithy also manage to get to Nessa in time, where he finally tearfully gets down on one knee.
One sweet throwback moment comes during the romantic ending of the finale, when Smithy leaves Sonia at the altar to chase down Nessa
As he and the rest of the gang race to the docks to find her before she leaves on her ship, it echoes the series two episode when Smithy races to get to her in time for her to give birth to Neil the Baby
And fans can help but see the similarities to when he arrives at the hospital with Gavin and cries that all the signs are in ‘bloody Welsh’ and fumes: ‘How are you supposed to read the signs?’ before Gavin helpfully points out they’re in English too
So what was occurring in the Gavin And Stacey Christmas Special?
While fans tuned into the episode to see whether Smithy had accepted Nessa’s proposal from the 2019 Christmas Special, a five-year time jump revealed that he was indeed set to tie the knot, but all was not as it seemed.
It was revealed that Smithy had instead got engaged to his girlfriend Sonia, who failed to impress the Shipman/West clan when she met them in the last festive episode, with actress Laura Aikman’s return to the show kept a closely-guarded secret.
With Smithy’s big day taking centre stage throughout the episode, Gavin and Stacey travelled back to Essex with her Welsh family in tow to celebrate his stag party with Pam and Mick.
Many of the family’s concerns about Sonia hadn’t been eased in the months leading up to the big day, as she feigned illness to avoid attending his pre-wedding celebrations, and said she ‘couldn’t wait’ until they were married, so they could sever ties with Gavin’s family.
Nessa was visibly reluctant to travel to Billericay for Smtihy’s big day, with big changes looming as their son Neil prepared to join his dad in Essex for an apprenticeship.
She then revealed that Smithy had never got the chance to answer her proposal, as they were interrupted by Gavin, and they hadn’t talked about it since.
Gavin And Stacey fans were left in tears by the ‘perfect’ finale as the beloved comedy came to an end with an answer to THAT festive proposal and the truth about the fishing trip
Elsewhere, Gavin and Stacey attempted to spice up their marriage with a spot of role play, and while she shared concerns that their relationship could be fizzling out, a spicy evening at Pam and Mick’s brought an end to those fears.
In a scene that threw back to the boozy night from the show’s third series, Smithy enjoyed a pre-stag celebration with the Shipman/West clan, culminating in him missing his suit fitting the next day, to Sonia’s fury.
And it wouldn’t be an episode of Gavin and Stacey without yet another relationship drama for Pete and Dawn. While the couple are revealed to have divorced during the five-year time vacuum, the couple struggle to keep away from one another, resulting one of the episode’s steamier moments.
In a special packed with nods and Easter Eggs from the original series, Smithy headed to his stag with Gavin, with the pair’s entire crew of pals, included Deano, Chinese Alan and Fingers – attempted to recreate the glory days, with mixed results.
In a poignant scene, Smithy appeared to allude to his feelings for Nessa under the ruse of sharing a corn-on-the-cob, a reference to one of the show’s most steamy moments from the second series.
With it soon becoming clear that with Sonia more preoccupied by the aesthetics of her wedding then becoming Mrs Smith, Smithy’s family began to share concerns that he was making a ‘big mistake’ by going ahead with the wedding.
While it seemed throughout the episode that Smithy would marry Sonia, everything changed in the last five minutes as the cast hurtled through a bush in a last minute dash to find Nessa before it was too late
Smithy made it all the way to the altar with Sonia before realising it was the wrong decision
Rushing out of his own ceremony he rushed to find Nessa who was about to board a ship and leave the country for good
Nessa and Smithy were then wed, choosing to shake hands to seal the deal as they explained: ‘We don’t kiss, never have never will’
It was a finale that brought a long-awaited end to the story that began back in 2007, and fans rushed to social media to praise the ‘perfect’ ending
In the midst of the wedding drama, Stacey also grew suspicious of her mother Gwen, with it eventually revealed she’d been hiding a secret from her daughter, a boyfriend!
But in a jaw-dropping reveal, fans were not prepared to discover the identity of her mystery man… Nessa’s ex Dave Coaches!
With Uncle Bryn visibly furious, Gwen hit back by referencing the famous fishing trip, no doubt leading some viewers to hope that they were finally going to discover the truth about the famous outing.
But it seems that this will be one mystery that will be left to the TV archives, as the family were interrupted before Dave could share the truth.
Turning focus back to Smithy’s wedding, as the big day loomed, Stacey shared her fears with Gavin, who warned her against interrupting or spoiling their pal’s big day.
Fans were also treated to the surprise return of Sheridan Smith as Smithy’s sister Rudi, and Pam Ferris as his mum Cath.
Having bid farewell to her son Neil, and Smithy, Nessa shared that she was leaving Barry to return to her job at sea, and in an emotional scene, viewers saw her heading out of the island, while Neil ‘The Baby’ performed a moving track at his dad’s wedding.
It was revealed at the start of the episode that Smithy had instead got engaged to his girlfriend Sonia, who failed to impress the Shipman/West clan when she met them in the last festive episode
The series, which debuted back in 2007 (pictured), concluded with on/off lovers Smithy and Nessa finally declaring their love for one another and tying the knot
Fans first fell in love with the series back in 2007 (pictured)
Nessa revealed that Smithy had never got the chance to answer her proposal, as they were interrupted by Gavin, and they hadn’t talked about it since
As Smithy and Sonia prepared to exchange their vows, with a registrar played by Anna Maxwell Martin watching on, a surprise twist saw Gavin himself stop the ceremony, urging his best pal to rethink his decision.
With the registrar asking anyone to stand if they agreed with Gavin, the entire Shipman/West clan did so, leading Smithy to finally realise that he loved Nessa, before vowing to go after her.
The entire family jumped into Dave’s coach and rushed to Southampton, where Nessa was preparing to set sail, and in a scene 17 years in the making, he declared his love for her, and asked her to reconsider leaving.
While an ever-stoic Nessa insisted she wouldn’t propose to Smithy again, instead he returned her offer from five years earlier, finally getting down on one knee and asking her to marry him.
The episode then cut to Smithy and Nessa exchanging their vows at long last in an intimate ceremony in Barry, with the series ending with an emotional montage of the family marking the occasion at The Dolphin pub, before posing for a family snap together.
In another shock twist it was revealed Gwen is dating Nessa’s ex Dave, much to Uncle Bryn’s horror
Pam Shipman was back to her hilarious antics in for the finale episode with her iconic line ‘Oh my Christ!’
It was a finale that brought a long-awaited end to the story that began back in 2007, and fans rushed to social media to praise the ‘perfect’ ending.
Taking to Twitter they wrote: ‘What an ending, my heart feels full’;
‘NESSA AND SMITHY FINALLY!!!! The nation rejoices’; ‘last 15 mins were pure CINEMA. perfect end’;
‘Up there with one of the best TV finales of all time. Credit where it’s due to James and Ruth for making us care so much about these characters for 17 YEARS! Take a bow.’;
‘Might be the best ending to a comedy show ever. What a brilliant send off for all the characters. Ruth and James never lost their touch. Funny, emotional and brimming with whit. Amazing’;
‘Gavin and Stacey finale was what I’ve needed, the closure I feel is IMENSE’;
‘@JKCorden that was perfect. To you and Ruth, you’ve created a story I’ve grown up with. The perfect end. Thank you Merry Christmas’;
‘So beautiful. So perfect. So special. The end’; ‘That was actually perfection. From top to bottom, proper tidy.’
Another joked: ‘This is making me wanna text my ex and tell them I still love them’.
Ahead of the episode’s broadcast, creators Ruth and James revealed that their final day of filming was also the last scene that viewers watched, making it an emotional day for the entire cast.
Speaking at a Q&A following the premiere last week, James said: ‘The first schedule of the show had us finishing, I think it was going to be me on my own in a car on a low loader and and Ruth and I were like ”that can’t be the last day!”
‘And I think that’s the only time we’ve gone ”we’d like to have a say in the schedule here,” and it was all to do with people’s dates…
‘This is a massive cast who are all very busy and have different things to do and have juggled a lot of things around to do it, but we really, really felt that the last day should be the last scene and that the last line should be the last thing that we ever shoot.
Ruth added: ‘If you look at the script, it’s just the montage isn’t it? And so we had a whole day, it was quite a luxury because normally, you’re watching the clock and you’re up against it and you’ve got to get in wrap, and we were so blessed that everyone in production made this happen so that we could have the luxury of having a final day where everybody was there and that all we had to do, we didn’t really have any lines!
The episode saw a new emotional side to Nessa as she struggled to come to terms with Smithy marrying Sonia
Uncle Bryn was also back behind the wheel in his Citron Picasso as they headed to Essex
Ahead of the episode, creators Ruth Jones and James Corden revealed that their final day of filming was also the last scene that viewers watched, making it an emotional day for the cast
‘It was lovely because it did feel like a real wedding, didn’t it? Like a real wedding to sort of pub reception and we were very grateful to being indulged, for being able to do that because it made such a world of difference that we did that last shot.
‘And then Chris, when she called cut on the very last take, arranged for the sound department to play [Run by Stephen Fretwell, the show’s theme] and that got us all going.’
James added: ‘It was probably the most emotional film set I’ve been on, and it was kind of wonderful, so many of our crew have been with us from the start and so it’s a wonderful way to close it all out on a Monday in Barry.’
Discussing the show’s long-awaited dockside proposal, James and Ruth added that it was huge feat to keep the scene a closely guarded secret, with the entire moment originally set to take place at Cardiff Airport, before a member of the crew came up with an alternative after they failed to get permission.
The cast admitted that filming the show’s last ever episode was emotional for all, with James breaking down in tears as they reflected on their time on the show.
Ruth added: ‘I’m not going to lie, I’m feeling a bit drained. It was so lovely to watch it with an audience, mainly made up of people who worked on the show.
‘I hope we did you proud and it’s just lovely to hear all the reactions, because of course, you know when you’re watching it and we’ve seen it several times, so for people to watch it for the first time to hear that very initial response was just gorgeous.’