Gavin & Stacey newcomer Laura Aikman has shared several behind-the-scenes Christmas special snaps after making her debut on the hit BBC One series on Wednesday night.
In one snap, the actress, 34, who played Sonia, posed with her on-screen beau James Corden, who plays Smithy, as she admitted that the job had ‘made her year’.
The two co-stars beamed in the photo as they stood in front of a film trailer, reflecting on her Gavin & Stacey debut, Laura penned: ‘This job made my year. Thank you @j_corden @chrisg2100 and Ruth for having me.
BTS: Gavin & Stacey newcomer Laura Aikman has shared several behind-the-scenes Christmas special snaps after making her debut on the hit BBC One series on Wednesday night
‘I had such a laugh and laughed even harder just now watching it for the third time!!!’
Laura also shared a different picture of James behind-the-scenes as he spoke to director Chris Gernon.
She explained in the caption: ‘James Corden and our lovely director @chrisg2100 watching the scene play out after Sonia & Smithy walk out…’
Laura also shared some pictures on set, including James and Mathew Horne’s trailers, as well as her own, which she captioned ‘Gavin and Smithy’.
Sweet: In one snap, the actress, 34, who played Sonia, posed with her on-screen beau James Corden, who plays Smithy, as she admitted that the job had ‘made her year’
Director: Laura also shared a different picture of James behind-the-scenes as he spoke to director Chris Gernon
She posted a snap of the cast, including Nessa’s Ruth Jones, Uncle Bryn’s Rob Brydon, Gwen’s Melanie Walters, Stacey’s Joanna Page and Gavin’s Mathew Horne all sat in character in-between scenes.
While Laura also shared a photo of the team, this time including Pam’s Alison Steadman and Mick’s Larry Lamb, sat around the dinner table with their Christmas cracker hats on.
On the Christmas Day special, Smithy’s new girlfriend Sonia, played by Laura, made a hasty exit from Barry after being unimpressed with Gavin and Stacey’s family, leading Nessa to tell Smithy she is in love with him.
Trailers: Laura also shared some pictures on set, including James and Mathew Horne’s trailers, as well as her own, which she captioned ‘Gavin and Smithy’
The cast! She posted a snap of the cast, including Nessa’s Ruth Jones, Uncle Bryn’s Rob Brydon, Gwen’s Melanie Walters, Stacey’s Joanna Page and Gavin’s Mathew Horne all sat in character in-between scenes
Inside look: Laura also shared the crew filming the final scene where Nessa proposed to Smithy
Close bond: Melanie Walters (who plays Gwen) was seen cradling Gavin star Matthew’s head in the green room
Fame: Laura rose to fame as Leigh Francis’ character Keith Lemon’s on-screen girlfriend, Rosie, in his 2012 show Lemon la Vida Loca (pictured together in 2012)
Laura rose to fame as Leigh Francis’ character Keith Lemon’s on-screen girlfriend, Rosie, in his 2012 show Lemon la Vida Loca.
The behind-the-scenes snaps come after Ruth Jones hinted that there’s ‘room for more’ episodes of Gavin & Stacey after her character Nessa dramatically proposed to Smithy (James Corden) at the end of the Christmas Day special.
The Welsh actress, 53, also admitted that she ‘really meant’ her character’s declaration of love to James’ Smithy.
Ruth’s interview comes after fans were left wanting more episodes after Nessa’s shock proposal to Smithy.
Eek: The behind-the-scenes snaps come after Ruth Jones hinted that there’s ‘room for more’ episodes of Gavin & Stacey after her character Nessa dramatically proposed to Smithy (James Corden) at the end of the Christmas Day special (Ruth and James pictured on Christmas Day)
Talking about another Gavin & Stacey return, the Stella star told The Sun: ‘I do say never say never, as while we did make it work that was after three years of trying to find time when we could sit down and write it.
‘Obviously with the way it ends, there is room for more. It’s a shame we didn’t have more time when we were writing so we could have written more, then have it all ready to go.’
The episode was watched by an average of 11.6 million viewers, making it the biggest festive special since Christmas Day 2008.
It secured nearly half (49.2%) of the total viewing audience during its slot, according to the BBC.
While talking about Nessa’s shock proposal, she told the Mirror: ‘It’s quite difficult to show her soft side. If I’m down on one knee, it’s obvious what’s going on.
Sweet: The Welsh actress, 53, also admitted that she ‘really meant’ her character’s declaration of love to James’ Smithy (pictured)
‘When I put my hand on my heart and I said, as Nessa, “I love you. No, I do, I loves you with all my heart” I really meant it to James.
‘We can argue, but our friendship at the heart of it is so strong. I’m proud of the journey we’ve been on together. We’ve been though a lot.’
On the Christmas Day special, Smithy’s new girlfriend Sonia made a hasty exit from Barry after being unimpressed with Gavin and Stacey’s family, leading Nessa to tell Smithy she is in love with him.
Nessa (Ruth Jones) got down on one knee and presented a ring to Smithy (James Corden) and the episode ended immediately after she asked: ‘Marry me?’
Shock: Gavin & Stacey fans were left wanting more after Nessa’s shock proposal to Smithy at the end of the Christmas Day special
Cliffhanger: After Smithy’s new girlfriend Sonia made a hasty exit from Barry after being unimpressed with Gavin and Stacey’s family, Nessa told Smithy she is in love with him
Viewers took to social media in their droves after the cliffhanger to express their shock at the ending with many hopeful than ever for another series.
The episode saw fans introduced to Smithy’s new girlfriend Sonia (Laura Aikman) who disliked Gavin (Mathew Horne) and Stacey’s (Joanna Page) family when she met them in Barry for Christmas.
Sonia admitted to Smithy she did not fit in with the group and told him she wanted to go and see her mother for the rest of Christmas.
She told Smithy he could come with her if he wanted but he chose to stay with the group and his son Neil, who he shares with Nessa.
Reaction: Viewers took to social media in droves to express their shock at the proposal
The proposal from Nessa will leave Smithy with a tough decision to make as earlier in the episode he told Gavin he was planning on popping the question to Sonia.
After the show ended, one fan tweeted: ‘Why don’t Nessa and Smithy just get together please?’ while another said: ‘They can’t leave us like that.’
Earlier in the episode, Smithy and Nessa ended up sleeping together after a drunken night out.
Smithy panicked as he could not remember anything and Nessa lied when she told him nothing happened as she did not want to damage his relationship with Sonia.
Surprise: Nessa got down on her knees and presented a ring to Smithy and the episode ended immediately after she asked: ‘Marry me?’
New love: The episode also saw fans introduced to Smithy’s new girlfriend Sonia who disliked Gavin and Stacey’s family when she met them in Barry for Christmas
Sweet: Smithy brought Sonia to Barry to meet Gavin and Stacey’s families along with his son Neil who he shares with Nessa
Choice: The proposal from Nessa will leave Smithy with a tough decision to make as earlier in the episode he told Gavin he was planning on popping the question to Sonia
Elsewhere, the gang enjoyed a night out at the pub on Christmas Eve in Barry where they were reunited with Stacey’s brother Jason (Robert Wilfort) during the episode.
Nessa and Bryn (Rob Brydon) sang a rendition of Fairytale of New York which proved another talking point among viewers as the word ‘f****t’ was not omitted from the song.
Bryn sang the controversial lyric of the hit in its original version which appeared to shock Gavin as the rest of the group hit the dancefloor.
Response: Viewers thought the cliffhanger ending left the door open for another series
Thrilled: Actress Laura Aikman, who played Sonia, said she had the ‘time of her life’ being a part of the Christmas special
The episode began with Gavin and Stacey chatting over the phone from Essex and Barry respectively, as the group prepared to gather in Wales for Christmas.
Viewers were shocked to learn that Gavin and Stacey now have three children together.
Fans learned they are parents to a boy named Harry, and two girls, one of whom is named Meghan, in an apparent nod to the royal family.
Gavin and Stacey struggled with the realities of raising children as they attempted to have some intimate time together, only to be interrupted by their kids.
Controversial: Nessa and Bryn sang a rendition of Fairytale of New York which proved another talking point among viewers as the word ‘f****t’ was not omitted from the song
Song: Bryn sang the controversial lyric of the hit in its original version which appeared to shock Gavin as the rest of the group hit the dancefloor
Defence: Co-creator Ruth Jones previously defended the slur not being censored, saying the show was remaining true to the characters
Split: Viewers were divided over ‘f****t’ not being censored during the Christmas special
On Christmas Day, the gang gathered in the sitting room of Stacey’s house and exchanged gifts, leading to an awkward moment between Bryn and Jason.
The pair had a longstanding frosty relationship due to an unknown event that happened several years ago on a fishing trip.
When Bryn was gifted with a framed photo of him and Jason taken on the trip, it brought back many bad memories.
Fans thought they were finally going to get an answer to what really happened on the trip when Bryn stood up to get it off his chest, before he was interrupted by Gavin and Stacey’s children running into the room.
James Corden reportedly flew back to the UK from Los Angeles to watch the special alongside his family, according to The Sun.
It is thought that James, his wife Julia Carey and their three children have all returned to England for Christmas and the special.
James revealed that the long-awaited Christmas special was saved after he and Ruth Jones wrote the ‘best scene ever.’
The Late Late Show host told The Sun that they decided to scrap the script they’d secretly written in LA, it was brought back to life after an idea ‘landed in the room.’
Opening: The episode began with Gavin and Stacey chatting over the phone from Essex and Barry respectively, as the group prepared to gather in Wales for Christmas
Parents: Viewers were shocked to learn that Gavin and Stacey now have three children together
Awkward: Gavin and Stacey struggled with the realities of raising children as they attempted to have some intimate time together, only to be interrupted by their kids
Sweet: Smithy and Nessa shared a tender moment together as their son Neil gifted them with a Christmas present
Fling: Smithy panicked when, after the night out in the pub, he thought he had slept with Nessa, despite planning to propose to Sonia
Fib: Nessa reassured Smithy that nothing happened between them but later admitted to Stacey they had slept together
Speaking on Radio 2, James explained that he and Ruth met last year to try and write something new for Gavin and Stacey, but after writing 40 pages they agreed it wasn’t good enough.
He said: ‘We decided, ”OK, well, thank goodness we didn’t tell anyone. Thank the Lord we didn’t. We’ve scratched this itch that we thought was there, and it isn’t, so no harm done. No one will ever know”.’
James then revealed that the Christmas special finally came together after an idea for a scene just ‘landed in the room.’
‘It’s probably the quickest scene we’ve ever written. And I think it’s the best scene Gavin & Stacey has ever had,’ he added.
‘Suddenly this scene arrived, I can’t tell you, I sound like Mystic Meg, but it landed in the room.’
Awkward: On Christmas Day, the gang gathered in the sitting room of Stacey’s house and exchanged gifts, leading to an awkward moment between Bryn and Jason
Running gag: The pair had a longstanding frosty relationship due to an unknown event that happened several years ago on a fishing trip
Secret: Bryn was about to finally reveal what happened on the trip after he was gifted of a photo of him and Jason on the trip but was interrupted by Gavin and Stacey’s kids
Hilarious: Fans were more desperate than ever to know what happened on the infamous fishing trip by the end of the episode
James was tight-lipped about the nature of the scene, although co-star Mathew Horne hinted on Radio 2 that it involved himself and Joanna Page, as he said it was the first scene they filmed when production began on the special.
James and Ruth admitted they had wanted to write more for a few years but logistically, had found it hard to get together following James’s move to LA.
The last series ended on New Year’s Day in 2010 when Smithy interrupted Nessa’s wedding to Dave Coaches and Stacey announced she was pregnant.
Romantic: Also during the episode, Gavin and Stacey shared a tender moment when they returned to the spot where they first told each other ‘I love you’
Adorable: Along with son Harry, Gavin and Stacey are also parents to two daughters
Demand: The Gavin & Stacey Christmas Special had been highly anticipated by fans for months
Production: The cast filmed the special in Barry, Wales during the summer
Ahead of the 2019 special airing, Ruth defended the word ‘f****t’ being used in the episode during the Fairytale of New York scene.
The song’s lyrics: ‘You scumbag, you maggot, you cheap-lousy f****t’ have proved controversial with calls for the homophobic slur to be censored from the track.
However, Ruth told The Sun that while the Christmas special is being shown in a ‘different climate’ to the original series which wrapped in 2010, she felt she was staying true to who the characters are by keeping the song uncensored.
She said: ‘It is a different climate. But we have to remain true to the characters, to who they were.
Creators: James revealed he and Ruth watched the Christmas special together and said the episode had been a ‘labour of love from start to finish’
‘Characters in Gavin & Stacey are kind and big-hearted, I believe. So I think no one is going to be intentionally hurtful.
‘But by the same token, they’re not necessarily going to be completely politically correct or be aware of political correctness.’
Just before the episode aired, James took to Twitter and shared a selfie of him and Ruth, revealing they were watching the special together.
He wrote: ‘We had to be together to watch it go out tonight! Gavin and Stacey is a show about friendship and family.
‘Tonight’s show has been a labour of love from start to finish and we hope you enjoy it. Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing. Happy Christmas from us both.’
Plot: Gavin’s family travelled down to Barry to be with Stacey and her family for Christmas