JAMES Corden has hinted at a happy ending for major characters in Gavin & Stacey after confirming the beloved sitcom will return with a Christmas special.
The TV star shared a sweet artwork of his character Smithy with his partner Nessa (played by Ruth Jones) on his Instagram on Friday.
In the painting by Lucy Claire Dunbar, Smithy has his arm around Nessa and the two are surrounded by red hearts.
Words below the image read: “Tell me tomorrow, I’ll wait by the window for you” – the lyrics to the show’s theme song from Stephen Fretwell.
It has now sparked hope that Smithy will accept Nessa’s proposal.
Fans rushed to the comments section to share their excitement, with one writing: “Does this mean Smithy says yes?”
A second added: “Please tell me Nessa & Smithy are together!!!”
A third penned: “Smithy and Nessa get them back together.”
The last instalment of the hit BBC sitcom – another Christmas special – aired back in 2019 and ended with an intense cliffhanger.
Ruth’s character Nessa got down on one knee to propose to James’ character Smithy, but viewers did not get to hear his response.
But it now seems like the odds are in the couple’s favour, with more than half of the fans betting they will get married in the final episode.
A BonusCodeBets spokesperson explained: “The previous special, aired in 2019 and became the most-watched show of the decade, ended on a cliffhanger with Nessa proposing to Smithy and now, latest odds via InstantCasino.com reveal the couple are odds on at 8/11 to get married, giving the fans’ dream union a 56% chance of happening.
“When it comes to Nessa’s direct question to Smithy, James Corden’s character is odds-on at 1/3 (75%) to say no or provide an ambiguous answer, meaning he’s 2/1 to actually say ‘yes’.
“Whatever happens, it’s a certainty to be the pick of the Christmas viewing this year.”
Co-creators James and Ruth confirmed the return of Gavin and Stacey today (Friday 3 May) on social media.
Posting a black and white snap of himself and Ruth holding a script, James wrote: “Some news… It’s official!!! We have finished writing the last ever episode of Gavin and Stacey.
“See you on Christmas Day, BBC One. Love Ruth and James.”
This special is the first new episode in five years and will be the last ever instalment of Gavin and Stacey.
Fans can expect the return of the main cast, which means titular couple Gavin (Matthew Horne) and Stacey (Joanna Page) will be back alongside their best friends, Smithy and Nessa.
Gavin and Stacey best moments
Gavin and Stacey's Best Moments
With the news that the show is set to make an exciting return to screens, let's take a look at some of the comedy programme's biggest and best moments...
- Smithy and Rudi’s American Boy rap– No one will ever forget when James Corden and Sheridan Smith rapped perfectly word for word Kanye West and Estelle hit American Boy as they walked across the car park on the phone to Gavin.
- Pam’s Vegetarian faux pas– Despite loving a cheeseburger, Pam found herself caught up in a web of unexpected lies when she claimed to be a Vegetarian. She is forced to keep up the secret throughout the entire show and uses hubby Mick to help her scoff meat. She is later rumbled when Stacey catches her in the act as she scoffs ham in the kitchen. Stacey says to her: “Is that ham, Pam!?… “I’ve seen you, Pam. A scotch egg here, a bit of bacon there, putting those regular sausages into the Linda McCartney box”.
- THAT fishing trip– It remains one of the biggest mysteries in Gavin and Stacey’s history as to just exactly what happened on the ill-fated fishing trip. Bryn appears to be hiding a secret as to an occurrence between him and his nephew Jason which has left relations fractures. Ness’ on-off boyfriend, Dave, is the only other person to know the whole truth. Bryn did appear to allude to him and Jason lying together naked to keep warm as he said to Dave: “We’re going to have this out, once and for all, man to man, you may know what happened, David, but you don’t know why it happened! It was freezing cold, it was! And when you are that cold…”
- Islands in the Stream– No one can ever forget the classic Karaoke performance of Islands in the Stream. Nessa and Bryn performed the track in front of all their nearest and dearest. It saw the whole pub burst into some line-dancing as they enjoyed a boozy night out.
- The Xmas special proposal– In 2019, fans were left overjoyed when the show made a comeback but it ended on the ultimate cliffhanger. Nessa asked Smithy if she would marry him as she finally laid bare her feelings for him. Fans were gutted as the show then cut straight to the credits as they never found out just how Smithy answered. Will it all be revealed in the brand-new episode?