James Corden has announced the filming schedule for the upcoming Gavin & Stacey Christmas special set in Barry Island. Co-creator James Corden, along with Ruth Jones, shared details during a recent interview on Radio 2 with Zoe Ball. They revealed that final adjustments are still needed for the much-anticipated episode.
Scheduled to air this Christmas on BBC One, the beloved sitcom will see the return of familiar faces including James Corden, Ruth Jones, Rob Brydon, Joanna Page, Mathew Horne, and Alison Steadman. Filming is expected to take place around September or October in Barry Island and Dinas Powys, the iconic locations where the series was originally filmed.
“We’ll be shooting it around September, October time. It’s going to be tight to get it in and delivered,” James Corden told Zoe Ball. “Building that show is like building a Jenga puzzle, with cast availability. Once Ruth and I finalise the play, we have to do one last pass and clean up of it.”
Regarding the script, James mentioned that the cast hasn’t had a chance to see it yet due to some necessary tweaks. “The cast are like: ‘when can I read it,'” he added. “We don’t really want to give it until we feel like it’s… We have to make a few trims and adjustments, I’m very excited to share it with people.”
Ruth Jones, co-creator, also discussed the show during a recent podcast appearance with co-star Rob Brydon. She humorously recounted interactions with eager fans asking for spoilers about the upcoming special. “I tell you what I do find interesting though is that a couple of people, again at the stage door, will say to me ‘What’s going to happen, tell me what’s going to happen, is Smithy going to say yes?'” Ruth shared. “And I go to them, ‘Do you seriously want me to tell you what’s going to happen in the Christmas Special?’ And they go ‘yes!’ And I go ‘but you don’t, because then what happens on Christmas Day when you come to watch it, you’ll know what’s going to happen.’ And they go, ‘please tell me’.”
She jokingly added, “So, I just go ‘Okay, there’s going to be a helicopter crash, most of the cast are going to get killed’, and I just make stuff up!”
James Corden and Ruth Jones officially confirmed the return of Gavin & Stacey’s final episode in May, following earlier reports. James shared the news on Instagram with a photo of himself and Ruth, captioned: “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.”
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