The finale of Gavin and Stacey will see the BBC comedy series’ Christmas special take place five years on from the previous instalment.

The hit TV series aired between 2007 and 2010 and returned in 2019 with a one-off festive episode that ended on a cliff-hanger when Vanessa Shanessa “Nessa” Jenkins (Ruth Jones) proposed to Neil “Smithy” Smith (James Corden).

After sleeping together on-and-off, they had their son “Baby Neil” and began raising him between Wales and Essex.

Gavin and Stacey stars pose for promotional material for the first season of the show (BBC/Baby Cow Productions/Neil Bennett/PA)

Neil appeared aged 12, played by Oscar Hartland in the special five years ago.

It has not yet been revealed whether Nessa and Smithy tied the knot.

Teasing the return, the BBC shared an image of Mathew Horne and Joanna Page as Gavin Shipman and Stacey West, as well as Corden and Jones as their characters standing beside a wall, echoing the first season image.

The corporation said that the 2024 Christmas special sees Gavin and Stacey “looking for new ways to spice up their 17-year marriage”, while Nessa begins a new business venture.

It also sees Rob Brydon as Uncle Bryn getting his Citroen Xsara Picasso ready on Barry Island in Wales for a trip to Essex, as his sister-in-law Gwen West has been “behaving most strangely”, and Neil the Baby is set to start an “apprenticeship with his dad”.

The BBC would not comment on whether the father referred to is Smithy.

In Essex town Billericay, Gavin’s father Michael “Mick” Shipman (Larry Lamb) is upsetting his uptight wife Pamela Andrea “Pam” Shipman (Alison Steadman) as she is about to play hostess.

There will also be continued marital problems for Peter Sutcliffe (Adrian Scarborough) and his wife, Dawn Sutcliffe (Julia Davis).

Gavin and Stacey Christmas special filming – Wales
Joanna Page, who plays Stacey Shipman (left) and Ruth Jones, who plays Nessa Jenkins (right) during filming for the Gavin and Stacey Christmas Day special (Ben Birchall/PA)

The BBC also hinted it might solve one of the enduring mysteries on Gavin and Stacey.

“Join us on the journey to Barry and Billericay as we catch up with the Shipmans and the Wests for the very last time and maybe find out what exactly did happen on that fishing trip,” the corporation said.

Stacey’s uncle, Bryn and his nephew, Jason (Robert Wilfort), allude to the events of the “fishing trip” during the series, but all viewers know is that the two men were close before the incident and rarely spoke after it.

The show was co-created by Corden and Jones, and the 90-minute special is written and executively produced by them.

The 2019 festive episode won the impact award at the National Television Awards in 2020.

It scored the highest overnight Christmas ratings in 12 years, attracting an average audience of 11.6 million viewers, making it the biggest festive special since Christmas Day 2008.

By the new year, it had been viewed by 17.1 million people, making it the biggest scripted programme of the decade at the time.

Jones went on to create and star in Sky One comedy drama Stella, while Corden fronted The Late Late Show on US TV.

Gavin and Stacey: The Finale will air on Christmas Day on BBC One and iPlayer, with timings to be announced soon.