Gavin & Stacey cast member's new career and name change almost saw him miss out on finale
Gavin & Stacey creators James Corden and Ruth Jones took fans on a journey following the show's 17 year long history in Gavin & Stacey: A Fond Farewell, a special documentary commemorating the end of the beloved sitcom which aired on New Year's Day. While the cast and crew were very emotional as they looked back on their time playing the iconic characters, as would be expected from a Gavin & Stacey special, there were also plenty of laughs.
One hilarious bit of background that was revealed about the finale was the difficulty in tracking down one cast member for the last episode. Gavin and Smithy's friends returned for Smithy's stag do and wedding, and Daniel Jeffrey, who last played Simon well over a decade ago, had to be "tracked down" for this appearance.
During a behind-the-scenes look at filming for the wedding, James introduces the original Gary and Simon, before Ruth says to Daniel, "The casting director, she did a bit of detective work, didn't she, to track you down." Daniel then goes reveals that a huge career change is why he proved to be difficult to find.
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He said: "I actually can't believe she found me. I had a stage name, Daniel Knightley, because I was working in cinema at the time and I was like I need a better name. So I kind of just landed on a Keira Knightley poster and said 'I'll be Daniel Knightley'. So I didn't even have the same name [when she found me for the finale]."
Since playing Simon, for the first time in the 2007 debut series, Daniel has since worked for the police and is now a barrister. For the latest TV & Showbiz news, sign up to our newsletter
He added: "She [the casting director] tracked me down from the police into becoming a barrister, got in touch with my chambers, who then said 'oh someone from a casting agency's contacted you'. And I was like 'that can only be one thing' because I've really only ever been in one thing'."
While most of Gavin and Smithy's friends returned for the stag do and wedding, fans noticed that one iconic character was missing. Matthew Baynton, who has also starred in CBBC's Horrible Histories, did not reprise his role as the quirky yet sweet Deano, who is known for requesting a half and half cup of tea and coffee.
Reflecting on seeing all of the men back together, Larry Lamb, who plays Mick Shipman, said that filming the finale was like "a real supercharged flight through time. It sounds a bit dramatic, but that's really what it feels like. Seeing all these boys that were all in their 20s, you know, now they're all in their 40s."
