03 May 2024 , 09:59
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Fans of Gavin and Stacey have been left thrilled after the news the hit series will be returning for a Christmas special.
James Corden confirmed it will return for its last-ever episode on Christmas Day after months of rumours a comeback was on the cards. Corden, who plays Smithy in the series, has recently returned to the UK following a stint hosting the Late Late Show in the US.
His chatshow attracted a string of A-listers who appeared on segments including Carpool Karaoke - and he even once got Prince Harry to make an appearance on the show. The two men are said to be pals, with their children reportedly having play dates together.
Alison Steadman who plays Pam with co-star Larry Lamb, who plays Mick (BBC)However, it seems there is one star of Gavin and Stacey who seems less than impressed with the Duke of Sussex - and once revealed her blunt reaction to the prince's explosive memoir Spare, where he criticised his family members including King Charles and the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Speaking last year, Alison Steadman, who plays Gavin's mum Pam, said: "I think it's a disgrace" when asked about Harry's memoir. She added: "I think it's very sad and I'm really glad the Queen isn't alive to witness it.
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"It was his prerogative to leave the royal family and they let him, so I think he should just get on with it and shut up. I won't read the book. I can't bear to look at it in bookshops."
Prince Harry with James Corden, one of the creators of Gavin and Stacey (The Late Late Show with James Corden/Youtube)Gavin and Stacey had a royal-themed gag running through it with Alison's character Pam and Larry Lamb's character Mick often impersonating King Charles and Queen Camilla. Asked whether Charles and Camilla had seen the Gavin & Stacey scenes in which they are impersonated, Alison previously jibed: "I don't know, but I hope if they have they weren't offended."
It was through her role as an ambassador for Marie Curie that Alison met the King – then Prince Charles – in 2019, when he visited the hospice in which her mother stayed. She explained: "He's lovely. He's a very warm and friendly man. You don't feel intimidated in any way.
"I met him before, some years ago, and he's probably seen me on telly and he just turned around and went, 'Oh! Hello, hello,' and it was just like meeting a fan. I think he's doing very well as our King."
Gavin and Stacey last appeared on screen five years ago. It was reported back in February that James and fellow writer Ruth Jones had secretly been working on a script and that filming was set to begin this summer. The 2019 Christmas special became the most-watched show in a decade after garnering more than 18million viewers.
Fans have hoped the new episode will pick up on the cliffhanger from 2019 which saw Nessa, played by Ruth Jones, propose to James Corden's Smithy. The show garnered cult status when it first aired on BBC Three in 2007 and brought Essex town Billericay and Welsh seaside town Barry into the spotlight. It went on to air for three seasons from 2007 until 2010.