Gavin and Stacey star reveals amazing lengths they went to in order to keep twist secret
Gavin and Stacey fans have waited five years for this year’s Christmas episode to find out whether Smithy had accepted Nessa’s marriage proposal that took place at the end of the 2019 special. When behind the scenes photos of some of the cast in wedding attire were shared earlier this year, many hoped that meant the on-off pair were heading down the aisle in the finale episode, but it turned out that Smithy was instead preparing to marry his long-term girlfriend Sonia.
Creators and stars James Corden and Ruth Jones, who play Smithy and Nessa, have revealed the great lengths they went to while trying to keep the twist a secret before the episode was broadcast. They kept Laura Aikman, who plays Sonia, out of all publicity photos and events, hid her during filming, and she even kept her upcoming appearance in the episode a secret from her own family.
At a press screening of the finale before it was shown on TV, James explained: "I do feel like it's very, very important to say that Laura puts in as good a performance as you could ever really wish for – and isn't here today for fear of it still just somehow leaking.”
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"She stayed in different hotels, she was going into places in the dead of night. She's not part of any of this [publicity]. Such is her want and our want to try and protect the very feeling that we had here."
Ruth added: "She hasn’t even told her mum and dad and she's hoping to film her parents' reaction [on Christmas Day]. She hasn't even said she's in it, so we hope that she will capture that."
Laura Aikman, who recently appeared in the ITV series Joan, was first seen in the 2019 Christmas episode of Gavin & Stacey as Smithy’s younger girlfriend Sonia. In the new episode, they are planning their wedding after it is revealed that Smithy proposed to her the day after Nessa proposed to him.
Fans were not happy as the twist was revealed, with one writing: "Sonia is a good and valid reason to cancel the tv license! #GavinAndStacey #tvlicense #bbc," while another commented: "I don't even care if Nessa and Smithy get together or not so long as he doesn't get married to Sonia #GavinAndStacey." A third added: "I don’t dislike Sonia, I just don’t think she’s a good fit with Smithy. #GavinAndStacey."
In the end, the pair have their wedding day but don’t actually get married, as Smithy’s best pal Gavin steps in at the last minute to tell him that he thinks the wedding shouldn’t go ahead. This leads to a mad dash to Southampton so Smithy can stop Nessa from leaving on a cargo ship and declare his love for her.
Fans were thrilled that the iconic couple finally ended up together. “What a finale,” wrote one, while a second said: “Not a dry eye in the country.” A third commented: “The perfect ending,” while a fourth added: “The final episode of Gavin and Stacey was nothing short of genius. They rounded things off perfectly. We finally got the ending to the story we all wanted and it was just perfect in every way.”
