Gavin and Stacey character removed from final script as 'there was no room for them'

Gavin and Stacey viewers were delighted to witness the cast reunite for the Christmas special, but one character didn't make it into the final script

Gavin and Stacey fans were over the moon as the beloved characters reunited for one final episode on Christmas Day.

Last night, viewers got their closure as they tuned into the long-running BBC sitcom's conclusion - after 14 long years of iconic characters and hilarious moments. The final-ever episode revealed that James Corden's character, Smithy, failed to accept Ruth Jones' Nessa's proposal from the 2019 Christmas special and he was instead set to marry his girlfriend Sonia, played by Laura Aikman.

Despite the stress and heartbreak, fans were over the moon that things turned out great for Nessa and Smithy by the end of the 90-minute special. Writers Ruth and James tried to make sure the whole gang reunited, including Russell Tovey (Budgie) and Sheridan Smith (Rudi).

However, Gwynfor Roberts - who played Dick Powell in two episodes and was mentioned many times throughout the show - didn't make it into the final script of the festive special as writers Ruth Jones and James Corden couldn't make 'room for him'. They added him in the original script but he didn't make it into the final one.

Ruth revealed at an early screening of the special: "I think in the original script we had Dick Powell. There just wasn’t room for him, God bless him." However, she said it was 'lovely' to bring everyone else back together.

Viewers were initially shocked when the final episode started with a wedding, but not between Smithy and Nessa. Instead Smithy was planning to marry Sonia, his stuck up girlfriend played by Laura Aikman, who had snuck onto set to keep the twist a surprise. In the end Smithy's pal Gavin (played by Mathew Horne) stopped the wedding at the last minute during the ceremony and Smithy and his pals then left Sonia as a jilted bride so Smithy could stop Nessa boarding a ship and they could marry instead.

Speaking at a cast and crew screening for the finale, Ruth said: "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." A tearful James said: "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.

"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'."

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