The final episode of Gavin and Stacey has become a topic of conversation after the show returned to our screens on Christmas Day, with Good Morning Britain’s Richard Madeley sharing his thoughts

Good Morning Britain presenter Richard Madeley (Image: (Image: ITV))

Richard Madeley expressed his initial doubts about the Gavin and Stacey finale during a chat on Good Morning Britain. The conversation arose in Monday’s show (December 30), which Richard co-hosted with Charlotte Hawkins.

Before entertainment correspondent Scarlette Douglas presented her annual review, Richard asked his colleagues if they had tuned into the much-anticipated Christmas special of the hit BBC sitcom. “It was great,” Charlotte remarked.

Richard revealed that he was initially sceptical but felt the episode picked up in the second half, leading to a satisfying conclusion. When questioned, Scarlette admitted: “I didn’t. Don’t judge me.”

She also disclosed that she wasn’t a fan when the series first aired in 2007. Richard concurred, while Charlotte highlighted the joy of Christmas television, where everyone has the choice to watch what pleases them.

In the final moments of the last episode, fans learned that Smithy, portrayed by James Corden, essentially rejected Nessa’s (Ruth Jones) marriage proposal from the 2019 special, reports the Express.

Despite not giving an answer, Smithy hadn’t discussed the proposal with Nessa since, and he was prepared to marry Sonia. Ultimately, Smithy realised his true feelings and left Sonia at the altar, rushing to stop Nessa from leaving the country to start anew.

Smithy proposed to Nessa in the BBC Gavin and Stacey finale (Image: (Image: BBC))

The episode concluded with the much-anticipated wedding, leaving fans emotionally moved by what has been described as the “perfect” ending. At an exclusive screening for those involved with the show, James Corden shared the initial inspiration for the tricky opening of the finale that led viewers to believe Smithy had said yes to Nessa’s proposal.

He recounted: “I called Ruth and I was like, I wonder if we could trick everybody into thinking that for the first six or seven minutes that they’re just going to watch a wedding between Nessa and Smithy.”

Corden added, reflecting on the conversation with his co-writer: “I remember so vividly having that chat with Ruth going, ‘oh, I wonder if we could pull that off. I feel like we did’.”