Fans of Gavin & Stacey have pointed out a huge error about a location that featured in the Christmas special. The BBC sitcom returned for its "finale" on Christmas Day and over 12 million viewers tuned in. There were surprise appearances, like from Sonia (played by Laura Aikman), who was preparing to marry Smithy (James Corden) at the start. Towards the end of the episode though, Smithy ditched her at the altar after objections from wedding guests. He then announced that he wanted to stop Nessa (Ruth Jones) from boarding a ship at the Port of Southampton, with her having planned to take some time away from the UK with a new job.
A host of characters joined him on the coach journey from the wedding, at a venue in Essex, to Southampton. Despite some issues along the way, Smithy made it just in time and proposed to Nessa - with them later seen getting married. Several signs suggested that scenes towards the end of the episode were based at the Port of Southampton, but some viewers from the area suggested that the scenes at the port, and others set in the city, weren't filmed there as it didn't look like the location. The scenes are instead understood to have been filmed in Wales, including at Newport Docks, in Newport, which is more than 100 miles away.
One fan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: "[Finale] was great but as someone from #Southampton, the perception of the port was completely wrong." Whilst another said on the platform recently: "[Episode] was just sheer perfection (glossing over the 'Southampton' docks location).".
