James Corden shares first Gavin & Stacey look as filming begins on final episode

Last ever instalment will air this Christmas

James Corden has shared a behind the scenes image of the first day on set of Gavin & Stacey’s final episode, due to air this Christmas.

In a candid image on his Instagram, Corden, who has played the lovable West Ham United fanatic ‘Smithy’ on the BBC sitcom since it began in 2007, wrote: “Day 1. Here we go x.”

The image shows Smithy’s car and and advert for his self-employed builder and decorator business, complete with the tagline: “If your husband won’t do it - I will...tilin [sic], roofin [sic], plasterin [sic], & feng shui.” The picture also includes a phone number to call Smithy on.

The final episode was confirmed earlier this year, with Corden announcing: “Some news… It’s official!!! We have finished writing the last ever episode of Gavin and Stacey. See you on Christmas Day, BBC One. Love Ruth and James.”

The eagerly awaited episode will directly follow on from the 2019 Christmas special, which was watched by more than 17 million people when it first aired, making it the most watched TV episode in a decade.

The previous episode ended on a cliffhanger as Nessa (played by co-writer Ruth Jones) and Smithy’s relationship hung in the balance following the birth of their son ‘Neil the Baby’ as Nessa confirmed her love for Smithy and proposed to him.

Gavin & Stacey originally ran for three seasons from 2007 until 2010 having started on BBC Three before quickly becoming a cult classic and moving to BBC One and picking up two Bafta TV awards, one National Television Award in the process.

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The final episode will likely feature Matthew Horne and Joanna Page as the titular couple with other stars Rob Brydon, who plays uncle Bryn, and Alison Steadman and Larry Lamb, who play Gavin’s parents respectively, also expected to return.

Despite the success of the previous episode it wasn’t without controversy as Nessa and Uncle Bryn’s performance of the Christmas classic ‘Fairytale of New York’ by The Pogues opted to include the homophobic slur ‘cheap lousy f*****”’ that was used in the original song.

However, a re-edited version of the episode, which was aired on repeat, has since seen the offensive phrase removed after it received more than 800 complaints after the original 2019 broadcast. The decision was made by the show’s production company Fulwell 73.

In a statement, Fulwell 73 said: “In keeping with the programme’s themes of joy, love and inclusivity, Fulwell 73 have decided to re-edit the song. We are grateful to the BBC for allowing us to make this change.”

In response, a BBC spokesperson told The Independent: “We respect their decision to make the edit. Attitudes can change over time and we appreciate that language is a sensitive and important topic for some people.”