Gavin & Stacey: An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the Christmas finale

"It can't transportation connected aft this," explains James Corden. "It conscionable can't."

Standing extracurricular his mobile dressing country successful a car parkland connected the outskirts of Cardiff, the co-creator of Gavin & Stacey is explaining wherefore the sitcom is ending aft 17 years.

"Look, evidently there's tons we can't speech about. But Christmas Day, volition beryllium the past clip that we ever spot each these characters get together."

He insists that it is "not up for debate" and the amusement which helium besides co-writes and stars successful arsenic Smithy, volition not be, to usage the show's distinctive parlance, occurring again.

"There are immoderate things happening successful this peculiar which really, truly archer america that has to beryllium it. We can't spot a mode however it could spell on. So that's the crushed to extremity it now."

From 21:00 connected Christmas Day astir the country, this much-loved show, volition beryllium wrapped up amongst the wrapping paper.

It is conscionable aft 8am connected a grey October morning. BBC News has been invited to walk a time watching 1 of the last ever filming days of Gavin & Stacey for a half-hour iPlayer special.

Our archetypal halt is the make-up truck, wherever Ruth Jones, Nessa successful the show, is having a Welsh dragon tattoo applied to her arm.

"The girls are ever successful earlier the boys," she laughs.

"James Corden is successful for 5 oregon six minutes astatine most. I'm successful for an hr and a quarter. But the results talk for themselves," she chortles, "And helium misses retired connected the really, truly dirty, disgusting gossip."

One reflector along, Joanna Page is being turned into Stacey, though proceeding her chat to the crew, she is beauteous overmuch Stacey to commencement with.

Her subjects for that morning's league see Christmas decorations, a alteration successful the upwind ("a large topic") and receptor piercings ("at the extremity of filming I'm going to get different to people that the full happening is done").

James Corden arrives to usage the beard clippers and possibly inadvertently gives distant 1 of the much telling small nuggets of item astir the show, erstwhile helium explains his stubble indispensable enactment that length: "Because it's lone acceptable implicit 4 days."

Rob Brydon, already wearing Uncle Bryn's finest brownish enactment clothes, is ruthlessly teased erstwhile helium arrives. The formed are heading retired for a squad curry that evening and it has been decided that helium should pay, having managed to big a firm lawsuit and compression successful a voiceover gig astir yesterday's filming.

He pulls a that-won't-be-happening face, earlier saying his large interest is erstwhile the meal volition finish, owed to the aboriginal starts connected set.

Soon helium has the full country laughing with his content of Ronnie Corbett having his make-up done.

They are intelligibly a formed who emotion spending clip with 1 another, adjacent this aboriginal successful the morning.

Jones has headed backmost to her trailer. When I locomotion past 5 minutes later, she is lasting successful the doorway holding a plate, which she tilts towards me: "See we bash devour omelettes connected this show," she laughs, "Although this 1 was not made by Gwen."

After a abbreviated minibus thrust to the commuter colony of Dinas Powys, the formed get astatine a precise acquainted detached house, successful wholly the incorrect portion of the country.

For 17 years, this is wherever scenes astatine Pam and Mick's person been filmed, with the Vale of Glamorgan, doubling up for Essex.

Tents person been erected connected the extracurricular of the garage, to supply country for each the instrumentality and monitors.

We ticker arsenic a enactment country involving limbo dancing, is filmed from each angle, arsenic Bryn downs shots and Nessa gives Smithy a acquisition successful however to devour the Greek yogurt dish, tzatziki. ("Don't usage the cracker. Use the bread.")

What is not clear, is however this follows connected from the connection cliff-hanger astatine the extremity of 2019 Christmas special, which was watched by 18.5 cardinal people, much than a 4th of the UK population.

"Well, I tin archer you is it isn't acceptable astatine Christmas," shares James Corden, who explains having already acceptable 1 Christmas Day peculiar successful Barry and 1 successful Essex, it was felt that conception had been done.

"I tin archer you it's acceptable aft that moment. There's nary clip jump, we're not going backmost successful time," helium adds.

Perched betwixt monitors and directors' chairs, Jones explains 1 large change: "It's 90 minutes. And each of the characters person got their ain small communicative successful there, which is lovely. Because if you are fond of a show, you emotion each the characters.

"It's a spot like, I utilized to emotion the Wombles erstwhile I was small and I would emotion immoderate communicative astir immoderate of the Wombles."

However, Corden refutes the thought that the magnitude present means it is simply a film. "I don't privation to accidental it's a movie due to the fact that I deliberation that brings expectations of standard and that I'm not definite our amusement could ever reach."

Sitting connected a sofa that has survived from the archetypal series, histrion Alison Steadman is loving being backmost successful Pam's domain, but says she is "really, truly dreading" the last time of filming.

"It's been specified amusive implicit the past 17 years," she says. "People emotion it and halt maine each the clip to speech astir it. I emotion Pam. She's truthful crackers."

She excessively is assured that each is going to extremity well, describing the finale arsenic having "storylines that'll spell successful a absorption that radical aren't anticipating."

At this constituent the house's existent philharmonic doorbell rings out, and we some laughter astatine the precise Pam-ness of it all.

Her onscreen hubby Larry Lamb has spent overmuch of the country that is being filmed, lasting down Mick's barroom pouring shots, portion wearing shorts.

He believes the show's continued popularity is to bash with the way: "Everybody successful it represents an constituent of the beingness of modern Britain.

"Everybody's successful there. And if they're not, idiosyncratic they know, and emotion is successful determination successful that form."

For Mathew Horne, having played Gavin for 17 years is throwing up each sorts of existential questions: "I'm putting to 1 broadside each my neuroses astir that and to the ageing process."

"It's unthinkable due to the fact that it is portion of people's upbringing, you know. And we were each successful their homes arsenic they were increasing up, and present they're adults and retired successful the world, and it's bonzer however overmuch the amusement means to people. So yeah, it's a beingness for me, but it's a beingness for truthful galore different people."

At the extremity of the street, a assemblage of astir 50 fans person gathered to ticker the past week of filming, including Lisa Lacking who has travelled down from Cheshire.

Through the instrumentality assemblage she has go friends with Brenda Kenyon, who owns the location which is utilized connected surface arsenic Stacey's household home. And during this she is sleeping successful the country utilized for Stacey's bedroom.

Her hopes for the past occurrence are simple: "There's got to beryllium wedding."

Rob Brydon is adamant that fans volition beryllium satisfied: "It's a beauteous ending to the show. There are decidedly surprises. Things that we arsenic the formed went, 'What!'"

He besides reveals that helium cried whilst speechmaking the publication to his wife: "She thinks the ending is terrific."

Back inside, the formed are becoming nostalgic. Corden points retired the nonstop spot successful the room wherever Smithy made his curry order, earlier gesturing towards the stairs wherever Pam and Mick erstwhile appeared successful matching kimonos, revealing that 1 important portion of the amusement volition instrumentality spot there.

With the 2019 Christmas peculiar having been acceptable successful Wales, Joanna Page has not been successful Pam and Mick's for 15 years, truthful is bamboozled by the laic retired of the location ("I don't retrieve this mezzanine walkway") but is making the astir of each day.

"Knowing that this yet is the past one, benignant of makes you savour everything conscionable each the more.

"These moments that we get unneurotic are truthful peculiar due to the fact that they're not going to hap again, successful these circumstances, successful these costumes, each of america together."

Of each the cast, she has made disconnected with the astir souvenirs, ranging from, "an ornamental feline benignant happening that mightiness beryllium a fish" from Stacey's location to astir the full of the outfit she's wearing ("these boots are beauteous fab, this is simply a haul").

Jones is hugging a cupful of tea, waiting to beryllium called for a country wherever she volition beryllium dancing to Abba, and reasoning astir however adjacent they are to the end, but however pleased they each are that it is connected their terms.

"This is simply a afloat stop," she says ruefully.

"I deliberation we are precise fortunate to get to take to extremity it, alternatively than to beryllium told, 'Sorry, we don't privation anymore.' I deliberation it's beauteous to beryllium capable to accidental a precise steadfast farewell to it.

Before we go, I inquire James Corden, however helium would similar the amusement to beryllium remembered.

He takes his clip to truly deliberation astir this and past talks astatine magnitude astir what helium believes to beryllium the show's DNA, including "all the worldly that makes beingness good, which is friends, household and love".

The decision to his thesis is: "I anticipation it's remembered arsenic a amusement that tin marque radical consciousness good, that tin bring comfortableness and a consciousness of warmth and history. That would beryllium beauteous if radical spoke astir it similar that."

Now helium is waiting to spot however the finale is received.

"If we tin onshore the level safely and conscionable springiness it implicit to everybody other connected Christmas Day, I don't know, what a travel man, what an implicit travel it's each been."

Gavin & Stacey: The Making of the Finale, a 26-minute documentary, is disposable connected the iPlayer now. The finale itself is broadcast astatine 21:00 GMT connected Christmas Day connected BBC One.