GAVIN and Stacey star Joanna Page has opened up about her emotional state while she and her co-stars filmed the last ever instalment of the hit BBC sitcom.
Speaking to EastEnders’ star Natalie Cassidy on their podcast , Joanna, 47, admitted that returning to Barry one last time for the Christmas Special was so moving that she just couldn’t stop crying.
The actor said playing her character Stacey Shipman and returning to her and Gavin’s (Mathew Horne) iconic TV homes for the last time brought back so many memories, as it was like returning home from college for holidays.
“The last ever time on Trinity Street, I was crying,” Joanna revealed, admitting the emotion of filming the final scenes for the Christmas Special completely overwhelmed her.
“And the last ever, ever time in Stacey’s house that she grew up in. In Stacey’s house, in Gwen’s house the last ever, ever time,” she added.
Joanna explained that she was hit with a wave of emotion when she entered the West family home for the final time as she pictured all the scenes that had ever been filmed in that living room.
“It was amazing. It brings back so many memories,” she said.
“You know when you go off to drama school or university and you come home for Christmas back to your house and you come back and you look around and it’s like ‘Oh, I’m home again.’
“You know, when it’s painful because it’s got so many memories and it’s so raw. I was thinking about when Stacey was going ‘foot together, next together, foot together,’ you’re trying to teach Nessa how to go down the aisle.
“And then when Stacey came in trying on different black business jackets before her work meeting.
“Oh my God, and the first time I sat down at the table to eat an omelette,” she recalled of the many iconic Gavin and Stacey scenes from over the years.
Joanna admitted that she was in floods of tears by the end of the day.
Once filming ended, the cast stepped back out onto Trinity Street one final time, where they were met by crowds of fans who had been out supporting them all day.
“And as I was walking up, oh my God, tears were just streaming, falling down the outside of my eyes, just falling down, I had no control over it.
“And I just remember looking at them, the sun was setting, and then we said goodbye and then I remember turning around to walk back to the car and looking back and just thinking ‘wow, I’ll never experience this again, all of this love from everyone, and all of this support, and this amazing experience, and the love I feel for all of the cast, I’ll never, ever have this again.’
“And I just got in the car and was just crying.
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“I think I spent most of my flipping time crying,” Joanna admitted. “We are all like a big family and it just does for you. You just feel it so, just, raw.”
But, in between all the emotional moments on set, the Gavin and Stacey cast managed to do what they do best - have a laugh.
“And in amongst all of that, you’ve just got flashes of utter hysteria where I’m just laughing at everybody because they’re all just so funny.”
While speaking on her podcast, Joanna also revealed that each of the cast members were allowed to take a little souvenir.
She explained: “Throughout the day we were walking around and they said we could take a little memento type thing.
“And so I was thinking ‘Ok, what am I going to steal,’ and they said ‘you don’t need to steal, just tell us what it is that you want.’
“So I chose a little thing, then I ended up choosing two things, ‘I think I might take this little picture,’ and then there was a little ornament vase type thing which I said ‘I’d just like to take that as well.’ Just two little things to remind me.”
The upcoming Gavin and Stacey special will hit screens on Christmas Day.
While addressing the cast, crew, and fans who were gathered in Barry for the final day of filming, co-writer and star Ruth Jones promised that viewers “won’t be disappointed” by the sitcom’s final ever instalment.
Over the past several weeks, the cast and crew have been spotted filming several exciting scenes including what looks to be a wedding - possibly Smithy and Nessa’s following on from the cliffhanger proposal in 2019 - and Nessa’s hen do.
For the finale, fans expect to see the main cast back together. This includes Joanna, Ruth alongside James Corden, Mathew Horne, Larry Lamb, Alison Steadman, Melanie Walters, Rob Brydon, Julia Davis and Adrian Scarborough.
