Gavin and Stacey: how THAT character's return was kept secret
Gavin and Stacey: The Finale has aired, and we finally have almost all of our answers—except, of course, about the fishing trip! The show had plenty of twists and turns, but perhaps the most shocking was that Smithy was still engaged to the rude Sonia instead of Nessa.
The truth about Smithy's engagement - and Sonia's appearance on the show - was kept hugely under wraps by the cast and crew, despite plenty of leaked set photos. So what did it take to hide the character's return from enthusiastic fans?
James revealed that Laura Aikman had to go through a series of diversionary tactics to make sure that no one snapped her on set—and revealed that she was even too worried to attend the press screening with the rest of the cast.
Speaking at the show's Q&A, James gave a shout-out to her, saying: "You're waiting for key moments like that reveal of Sonia - I do feel like it's very important to say that Laura, who plays Sonia, puts in as good a performance as you could ever wish for.
"[She] isn't here for fear of it still somehow leaking, and she stayed in different hotels, she was going into places at the dead of night, and she's not part of [the press screening]—such is her want and our want to try and protect the very feeling that we had here. It would be lovely to give her a round of applause!"
MORE: Gavin and Stacey: The Finale's ending explained - here's how the show conclude
Ruth Jones added that even Laura's parents didn’t know she would be in the show, adding: "She's promised to try and film her parents on Christmas Day because she hasn't even told her mum and dad; she hasn't even said she's in it!"
James was also full of praise for her portrayal of Sonia, who is clearly the wrong match for Smithy as she often criticised him, berated him for the wrong shoes at the altar, and claimed that she couldn't wait for them to cut ties with Gavin's family.
He said: "She's amazing, an incredible performance and an almost impossible task. In the hands of anyone else, it would be a cartoon, and I hope she gets celebrated for a pitch-perfect performance."
Gavin and Stacey is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer
