James Corden has revealed he felt immense pressure to make the Gavin and Stacey Christmas special good enough for the show’s committed fans.
The hit TV series aired between 2007 and 2010 and returned in 2019 with a one-off festive special that ended on a cliffhanger when Ruth Jones’s character Nessa proposed to Corden’s character Smithy.
Fans have been waiting nearly five years for Smithy’s response – as the episode ended before he had the chance to reply. Gavin and Stacey: The Finale will air on Christmas Day.
Speaking to The Sun, Corden likened the pressure of getting the Gavin and Stacey Christmas special up to scratch to playing football for England.
“We started writing 20 years ago and it’s nuts, inconceivable, that it means more to people now than it did 20 years ago,” he said.
“I still feel pressure — there’s pressure all the time because you don’t want to let anybody down,” he added.
“I think it’s the closest you could get to being called up to the England team in terms of something meaning a lot to a lot of people.”
The chat show host continued: “You are representing your country right now in a sense, you know?
“And so, it’s a lot… but we’ve really tried our absolute best.”
The 2019 Gavin and Stacey festive special was a major ratings success for BBC One. With 18.49 million viewers, the broadcast in the United Kingdom was the most-viewed non-sporting event in a decade and the most-watched comedy in 17 years.
However, the episode also drew criticism after characters sang a slur word during a rendition of The Pogues’ “Fairytale of New York”.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Cordon’s fears come days after it was confirmed the Gavin And Stacey cast will take over the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast show ahead of the sitcom airing its final episode.
Corden and Jones will be joined by fellow cast members including Joanna Page, Mathew Horne, Rob Brydon, Alison Steadman, Larry Lamb and Rob Wilfort on December 23.
Across the three-hour show, the stars will reveal insights into the making of the finale and share memories from the series, which began in 2007.
“The entire cast will be here in the studio just two days before the last ever episode”, Corden said.
“We’re going to play Christmas songs, we’re going to try and have fun, we’re going to try and engage with everybody who’s listening, and we’re equally as excited as we are scared.”
Jones added: “What will be lovely about it as well, is it will be the last time that all of us will be in the same room together.”
The Gavin and Stacey Christmas special will air on BBC One on Christmas Day.