Gavin and Stacey's Sonia star kept huge show secret from her family before surprise return

Naomi Clarke PA Senior Entertainment Reporter & Joanna Berry
·3-min read
Sonia and Smithy
-Credit:BBC


Gavin And Stacey's Laura Aikman has spilled the beans on how her family only found out about her return to the beloved BBC sitcom while watching the Christmas Day finale. The 39 year old actress posted a video on Instagram capturing her family's shocked reactions as her character Sonia made her surprise appearance.

Sonia, who is Neil "Smithy" Smith's girlfriend, played by James Corden, makes a crucial comeback in the final Christmas special during a scene set in a John Lewis shop where they're sorting out their wedding gift registry. In the video, you can hear one of Laura's family members shouting "press pause", while another exclaims "you never told me", to which Laura responds: "We never told anyone".

Laura Aikman
Laura didn't tell her family she would be in Gavin and Stacey this Christmas -Credit:PA Wire/PA Images
Gavin and Stacey
She shared a photo of the cast with her picture missing -Credit:lauraikman/instagram

She captioned the post with "the moment my family realise Sonia is ruining Christmas again" and added that she takes non-disclosure agreements very seriously. Laura also shared a snap of a cast board featuring all the Gavin and Stacey characters, with a noticeable gap where her picture should have been.

READ MORE: Gavin and Stacey star Ruth Jones admits 'glaring continuity error' in Christmas episode

READ MORE: Gavin and Stacey star reveals amazing lengths they went to in order to keep twist secret

Laura first graced our screens as Sonia in the 2019 Christmas Day episode when Smithy introduced his girlfriend to his loved ones. However, things got a bit tense when she didn't gel with the group and left before Smithy could pop the question as he'd planned. The episode ended on a cliff-hanger with Vanessa "Nessa" Jenkins, played by Ruth Jones, confessing her love for Smithy, leaving fans waiting five years to find out his response.

Sonia and Smithy
Sonia and Smithy make it to their wedding day but don't get married -Credit:BBC

The 2024 Christmas special of Gavin & Stacey left fans on the edge of their seats as it kicked off with Stacey Shipman's family, played by Joanna Page, gearing up for a wedding. Viewers had been crossing their fingers for Smithy and Nessa to tie the knot, but the 2019 festive episode threw a curveball when Nessa's proposal was cut short before Smithy could respond, leaving the question hanging in the air.

The episode was peppered with drama, including Sonia's "bridezilla" antics and her criticism of Smithy's footwear at the altar. Tensions rose as Smithy's nearest and dearest began to doubt his match with Sonia, culminating in best mate Gavin voicing his concerns mid-ceremony.

Chaos ensued as several guests, including Neil the Baby, stood in objection to the union, prompting Smithy to declare his love for Nessa and leave Sonia stranded. He dashed off to Southampton in pursuit of his true love.

James Corden and Ruth Jones, who penned the beloved series that originally aired from 2007 to 2010, brought it back for a Christmas special in 2019 and promised the 2024 episode would be the grand finale. Fans can reminisce with the documentary Gavin And Stacey: A Fond Farewell, airing at 7pm on New Year’s Day on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.