WHAT'S OCCURRIN'?
Gavin and Stacey Christmas special – the 11 questions we need answered including what really happened on fishing trip
IT’LL be the TV Christmas highlight for lots of us – a fun-filled hour back in Barry Island and Billericay, finding out what’s occurring with Gavin and Stacey and their respective clans.
It’s nine years since the hit series ended – and we can’t wait to find out who’s married, who’s divorced, and if Gwen’s still making those omelettes.
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Has confirmed bachelor Uncle Bryn has finally found love? Has Smithy’s mum’s narcolepsy improved? And has Smithy finally learned how to share an Indian?
Here are 11 questions we’re hoping will be answered by James Corden and Ruth Jones in their long-awaited one-off Christmas special...
1. Are Smithy and Nessa properly together?
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‘Gav-a-lar’ and Stacey's best friends Smithy and Nessa have always had a complex and unpredictable relationship.
There’s a lot of loathing there, for sure, with Ness saying she found Smithy "truly disgusting" – but they shared a child and had a strong attraction for each other.
At the end of the third series, Smithy charged into Nessa and Dave Coaches' wedding and told Ness he thought they needed to be together - and the show ended happily ever after with all the characters on Barry Island beach.
But if they did get together – and we so hope they did - will they have lasted the test of time? And could they even agree on where to live?
2. What’s become of Neil, the baby?
Neil the baby – aka Neil Noel Edmund Smith - will be nine years older so the big question is how is he now?
Is he more like Smithy or Nessa? Does he have a Welsh accent? Or an Essex one? And do they still call him ‘Neil the Baby’?
Is he good friends with Gavin and Stacey’s firstborn? Can’t wait to meet him again.
3. Did Gavin and Stacey have a boy or girl?
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At the end of the third series, Gavin and Stacey were thrilled to find out that they were having a baby after having difficulties conceiving.
While the last moments of the show skip forward in time, Stacey is heavily pregnant and we never get to meet their son or daughter.
We know they wanted several kids, so maybe there’s a whole brood of them by now?
4. Has Uncle Bryn found love?
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Sweet-natured Bryn has always been a confirmed bachelor, but will the Sex and the City-loving Welshman have found love himself?
5. Are Pam and Mick still happy and doing Royalty-based role play?
We certainly hope so!
Gav’s doting mum Pam adores the Duchess of Cornwall - referring to Princess Diana as a "hussy" - and acts out sexual fantasies of Charles and Camilla with her husband, Mick.
She dotes on Gavin, who she calls her "Little Prince".
Pam was in her fifties when we last saw her, though her exact age was unknown – and her husband Mick said she’d claimed to be 51 on her last five birthdays. Will she still be 51?
6. Did Dawn and Pete finally divorce?
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Despite renewing their vows, the warring, volatile couple still got it wrong when Peter arranged a Puff Daddy wedding ring for himself, putting him back in the dog house with a furious Dawn.
Nearly a decade later, surely they’ve had enough of each other and gone their separate ways? Or have they become the Burton and Taylor of Billericay?
7. Can we look forward to a barn dance reprise of Barry Islands in the Stream?
One of the all-time G&S highlights was when Nessa (Ruth Jones) and Uncle Bryn (Rob Brydon) sang the Bee Gees hit Islands in the Stream as a duet at a surprise birthday barn dance for Gwen.
Islands in the Stream is her favourite song – and the singers wore their best plaid, suede fringes and cowboy hats on stage for the duet. Sheer musical magic – especially as both actors can sing like professionals.
8. What happened on the fishing trip?
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One of the most tantalising TV mysteries of all time is what actually happened between Stacey's brother Jason and his uncle Bryn on the infamous fishing trip.
Whatever went on, the story disgusted Dave and caused tension between Jason and Bryn.
All we know is that it was freezing cold, they were on their knees and it’s not illegal (in this country).
Will the Christmas special reveal all?
Unlikely...
9. Will we ever meet Lucy?
Smithy's mysterious girlfriend is yet to make an appearance in the show, despite being constantly mentioned.
Although her age has never been mentioned, in series one and two she appeared to be 16 or 17, and her absence is usually explained with activities like "washing cars with the Brownies" or doing her Duke of Edinburgh award.
Even if Smithy and Nessa are now together, we'd love a glimpse at his elusive ex.
10. Will Sheridan Smith be back as Smithy’s daft young sister Rudi?
Apparently not.
Sheridan played Smithy's sister in the original series which ended in 2010.
Asked by Radio 2 host Zoe Ball if she'd be making an appearance in the Christmas special, Sheridan said: “I wish. No, I’m not going to be in it. Like everyone, I can’t wait to watch the Christmas special. I’m so proud to have been a part of something so special."
The 38-year old once dated Gavin and Stacey star James Corden, but they broke up in 2009.
She later posted a GIF on Twitter and wrote: “I was only ever in 4 episodes. Why would they need to bring me back? There is no drama between me & James. And no story. Chill out!”
11. So when's it on?
The one-hour episode will air at 8.30pm on Christmas Day on BBC One.
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