Gavin & Stacey finale breaks viewing records across all streamers

Festive special has achieved ratings of 19.3 million and counting

The Gavin & Stacey finale has become the UK’s most-watched scripted show across all broadcasters and streamers since records began in 2002, the BBC has announced.

The show returned for a final time on 25 December last year, with the much-anticipated episode finally answering the fate of Nessa and Smithy’s relationship, picking up from 2019’s cliffhanger that saw Nessa (Ruth Jones) get down on one knee and propose to Smithy (James Corden).

The show has already achieved ratings of 19.3 million – with that number expected to grow in the coming weeks – and smashed the show’s own record from the 2019 Christmas special, which reached 18.5 million viewers within the first 28 days.

The sitcom, which follows the chaotic yet heartwarming lives of the two families belonging to Gavin and Stacey Shipman (Joanna Page and Mathew Horne), saw 12.3 million viewers tune in on Christmas Day alone, beating the 2019 special and making it the biggest Christmas Day overnight ratings since 2008.

Since the show aired, it has added more than six million to that total thanks to people watching the show on iPlayer, and that number is expected to grow to more than 20 million when the 28-day figures are published.

The show’s creators and co-stars Corden and Jones have said they are “overwhelmed” by the response to the finale.

“Gavin & Stacey really does belong to the audience and we are beyond thrilled that so many people enjoyed watching it this Christmas,” they said. “A huge thank you to [chief content officer] Charlotte Moore and the BBC for backing us these past 17 years.”

During the finale, viewers were shocked to see Smithy preparing for a wedding with Sonia (Laura Aikman) instead of Nessa in a surprise twist. The wedding took place in Essex, where Gavin and Stacey are from, but of course, the invitation was extended to Stacey’s family who live in in Barry Island, Wales.

James Corden, Matthew Horne, Joanna Page and Ruth Jones in ‘Gavin & Stacey’ (BBC/Baby Cow Productions/Neil Bennett)

Smithy and Sonia’s wedding came to an abrupt stop, however, when Mathew Horne’s Gavin stood up to say he thought his friend was making a mistake, and after the rest of the audience concurred, Smithy decided to leave Sonia at the altar.

An angry Sonia then told Smithy, “You ain’t gonna find better than me,” to which Smith replied: “I already did, 17 years ago in Leicester Square,” pointing to the first time he met Nessa in episode one.

Gavin and Stacey cast (BBC/Toffee International Ltd./Tom Jackson)

Smithy then rushed to Nessa to declare his love to her and propose on one knee. “We’re messy and not perfect,” he told her, “but I love you Nessa and I always have. Well, not always, but most of the time... I love you, will you marry me?”

She said yes – and the couple had an intimate wedding in which Nessa, in classic Nessa fashion, opted to wear black.

Viewers praised the episode as a huge success, with one person concluding on X/Twitter: “It wasn’t Gavin & Stacey, it was Smithy & Nessa all along.”