Gavin and Stacey finale break show's record and delivers shock for BBC

The finale of Gavin and Stacey drew the largest Christmas Day audience since 2008.

The BBC sitcom concluded on Christmas Day (December 25), five years after the previous festive special in 2019, with Nessa and Smithy finally tying the knot in an emotional goodbye to the inhabitants of Barry Island.

It has now been disclosed that the Gavin and Stacey finale was the most viewed programme on Christmas Day, in a ratings war largely dominated by the BBC. According to preliminary overnight figures from BARB, a ratings tracker, Gavin and Stacey attracted a staggering 12.3 million viewers.

This meant that the popular BBC sitcom garnered the biggest Christmas Day audience for over a decade, making it the largest non-sporting event in more than 10 years.

These figures surpassed Gavin and Stacey's own record set after the last episode aired in 2019. At that time, the show drew an average of 11.6 million viewers, which was the highest overnight rating for a Christmas Day show since 2008, reports the Daily Star.

Fans had been anticipating a grand and explosive final episode, as the 2019 instalment left many questions unanswered. However, fans were delighted when they saw Smithy, portrayed by James Corden, abandon his girlfriend Sonia - who only appeared in the 2019 Christmas special - at the altar to try and win back Nessa, played by Ruth Jones.

In a dramatic turn of events on Wednesday's show, Nessa's much-anticipated proposal was interrupted before Smithy could respond. The incident was never discussed again, but as the series unfolded, Smithy realised his 'true' feelings for Nessa and rushed to Southampton to prevent her from embarking on a six-month boat trip.

Reflecting on the episode, Charlotte Moore, the BBC's Chief Content Officer, praised the show's ability to resonate with audiences across generations during such a crucial period. "Christmas Day on the BBC brought people together in their millions and saw Gavin And Stacey triumph," she expressed with delight.

"Ruth Jones and James Corden created a magical finale that fans will treasure forever," she continued. "Their exquisitely written comedy creation is a show all about family, love and joy and it proved to be the unmissable TV event of the year."

The BBC subsequently dominated other channels in terms of viewership, with all of the top ten most-watched programmes airing on Christmas Day being shown on the BBC. Wallace and Gromit's latest film - A Vengeance Most Fowl - came in second place, drawing an impressive overnight audience of 9.4 million; while the King's Speech attracted 5 million viewers.