James Corden gave an important update for Gavin & Stacey during his Capital Breakfast broadcast on Wednesday morning.
The iconic BBC comedy returns on Christmas Day for its final episode, with fans hoping to see how Nessa (Ruth Jones) and Smithy’s dramatic proposal ends.
And Smithy actor James, 45, has now told presenter Jordan North that the final script will definitely be ready by Friday, meaning filming could begin very soon.
Jordan asked him in an interview, “Is everything written down, is everything recorded? Is there anything left to write about?”
James replied, “It’s written well, but now we’re rewriting it. So we have to, we have to take some time away, we have to change some bits.
James Corden gave a major update on Gavin & Stacey when he appeared on Capital Breakfast Radio on Wednesday morning
The iconic BBC comedy will return on Christmas Day for its final episode, with fans hoping to see the outcome of the dramatic cliffhanger surrounding Nessa (Ruth Jones) and Smithy’s proposal
‘We’ve done that, it’s quite tricky because Ruth Jones (Nessa) is in Sister Act in the West End at the moment, and I’m doing The Constituent at the Old Vic.
‘So we’ve done quite a bit of writing in the dressing rooms and stuff like that, and then we both look at each other, quite tired from the plays, but tomorrow we’ll get back at it.
‘Back to work on Friday. I hope Friday… that it’s done and finished this Friday!’
Then Jordan said, ‘This Friday? Is that the deadline?’
James then joked, “Well, it’s the deadline we’ve set ourselves, because we’re starting filming pretty soon now. It’s not too far away.”
This comes after Gavin & Stacey star Rob Brydon revealed that the series’ long-awaited Christmas finale will ‘wrap up’ all of the show’s long-running storylines.
Rob recently revealed in an interview with Jamie Theakston and Davina McCall that he and much of the cast have yet to see the full script for the festive special.
Creators James and Ruth confirmed last month that the script is nearly finished, but BBC bosses recently revealed that even they have not seen the story for the final episode, fearing it could leak.
And Smithy actor James, 45, has now told presenter Jordan North that the final script will definitely be ready this Friday
At the climax of the final Christmas episode in 2019, Nessa got down on one knee to propose to Smithy, but viewers never got to hear his reaction
When asked about the upcoming episode, Rob joked, “When I read it, they handled Bryn’s funeral really sensitively! I was worried I wouldn’t be in it, but they have a lot of flashbacks!”
The comedian added seriously: ‘You know, I know what’s going on, but I don’t think any of the cast has seen the script yet.
“They told me there were a few minor mistakes, and I believe that makes it all right.”
Rob is expected to reprise his role as Stacey’s beloved uncle Bryn in the comedy, with fans hoping they will finally learn the truth about what happened on the infamous fishing trip.
James and Ruth went to such lengths to avoid leaks that they didn’t even let the BBC’s director of comedy, Jon Petrie, read the finished script.
To avoid plot details spoiling the sitcom’s one-off finale, the writers, who also star in the series, only showed the script to a “very, very small circle.”
And even Petrie didn’t make it, despite commissioning the episode as the BBC’s big draw for this year’s Christmas schedule.
“I still haven’t seen the script, James and Ruth haven’t shown it to us yet,” he said on the BBC comedy show.
“I think that’s great. They really keep it a secret and don’t want people to see it outside of their own very close circle until they’re 100 percent sure.”
According to Petrie, the real challenge comes when filming begins. It is such a well-known series and the cast is so recognizable that people on the filming locations can recognize them immediately.
“I think it will be difficult when they film it, because it is such a big spectacle and everyone wants to watch, in all the locations where it is being filmed. It will be obvious what is being filmed,” he said.
“I think you have to take it as a compliment that it means so much to so many people.”
Although Jon hasn’t seen the script, he said James and Ruth came up with a “brilliant idea and a brilliant story.”
James and Ruth reunited to write the closely guarded new script after the former Late, Late Show host moved back to the UK after eight years in Los Angeles.
It comes after Gavin & Stacey star Rob Brydon revealed the show’s highly anticipated Christmas finale will ‘wrap up’ all of the show’s long-running storylines
Lead characters Mathew Horne, 45, and Joanna Page, 47, return, alongside series regulars Rob Brydon, 59, Alison Steadman, 77, and Larry Lamb, 76.
The Bafta-winning comedy originally aired for three seasons, from May 2007 to January 2010, and returned with a special episode on Christmas Day 2019.
The BBC set a record viewing figure with 18.49 million people watching the episode, which ended with Ruth’s Nessa declaring her love for Corden’s Smithy and getting down on one knee.
It was the most watched scripted programme of the decade, with fans wanting more as the episode ended before Smithy had even responded.