Gavin and Stacey finale cut beloved character from final script as 'there wasn't room'

Gavin and Stacey enthusiasts were absolutely delighted as the cherished series came back for a final Christmas Day special.

Yesterday evening, the audience got the ending they had been yearning for as they settled in to watch the much-loved BBC sitcom draw to a close - after an unforgettable 14 years packed with iconic scenes and side-splitting humour.

The highly anticipated episode unveiled that Smithy, played by James Corden, didn’t go through with Nessa's (portrayed by Ruth Jones) proposal seen in the 2019 Christmas special; he was all set to marry his partner Sonia, played by Laura Aikman.

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Even though it was a bittersweet plotline filled with tension and heartache, fans couldn't help but feel thrilled as it all worked out well for Nessa and Smithy when the 90-minute episode wrapped up. Show creators Ruth and James made efforts to have the whole beloved crew return for one last appearance, including Russell Tovey as Budgie and Sheridan Smith as Rudi.

However, the character Dick Powell, who Gwynfor Roberts depicted in two episodes and who often cropped up in conversations throughout the BBC series, didn't appear in the closing chapter of the series. This was because scriptwriters Ruth and James found they couldn't fit him into the narrative.

Although he appeared in their initial draft, unfortunately, he didn't remain in the final cut, reports the Mirror.

Ruth admitted during an early preview of the festive episode: "I think in the original script we had Dick Powell. There just wasn't room for him, God bless him."

Despite this omission, she expressed how 'lovely' it was to have the rest of the cast reunite.

At a screening event with the cast and crew, Ruth shared her emotions: "I'm feeling a bit drained. It was so lovely to watch it with an audience. I hope we did you proud. It was just lovely to hear all the reactions. To hear that very initial response, it's just gorgeous."

Meanwhile, an emotional James reflected: "I just wanted it to feel satisfying really. What was really interesting is after the 2019 special, all people would say to us was, what does he say? They would never say who did he choose."

James continued, recalling a pivotal conversation with Ruth: "I called Ruth and I was like, I wonder if we could trick everybody into thinking that for the first six or seven minutes that they're just going to watch a wedding between Nessa and Smithy. I remember so vividly having that chat with Ruth going, 'oh, I wonder if we could pull that off. I feel like we did'."