BBC hopes for Gavin and Stacey spin-off revealed as Christmas Day finale scores historic ratings
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BBC bosses are reportedly hoping Ruth Jones and James Corden fancy one more show for the road following the success of the Gavin and Stacey finale. The Gavin And Stacey finale secured the highest Christmas Day ratings since 2008, the BBC has said. The emotional farewell to the popular sitcom, which saw characters Smithy and Nessa finally get their happy ending, drew an average audience of 12.3 million, according to overnight figures.
It surpassed the show’s 2019 Christmas special – which had an overnight audience of 11.6 million – by more than half a million viewers. So it's no surprise the BBC fancies another chapter from James and Ruth's storybook and capitalising on the success of the final Gavin and Stacey special.
BBC bosses reportedly see it as "madness" to walk away from such a big hit, despite Ruth and James being "adamant" Gavin and Stacey is over. "But, when a programme achieves such results, execs will always hope for more," an insider has claimed. "'At the end of the day, ratings talk and it would be madness to close the door on such a hit forever when fans loved it so much," the source continued, as they added a discussion about a potential Pete and Dawn spin-off, with cameos from the main cast, has taken place.
No one thought James and Ruth would ever return following 2019's special, so it's definitely considered a "never say never" situation and bosses live in hope," the source concluded to The Sun. The Mirror have contacted the BBC for comment. Fans had been eagerly anticipating the final instalment of the show for five years after the 2019 festive edition ended on a dramatic cliffhanger as Vanessa “Nessa” Jenkins (Ruth Jones) got down on one knee to confess her love for Neil “Smithy” Smith (James Corden).
