The beloved BBC sitcom concluded on Christmas Day, five years after its previous festive special in 2019. The emotional send-off saw characters Nessa and Smithy finally tie the knot, much to the delight of Barry Island’s residents.
It has now been disclosed that the Gavin and Stacey finale was the most-watched programme on Christmas Day, with the BBC dominating the ratings war. Preliminary overnight figures from BARB, a ratings tracker, indicate that Gavin and Stacey amassed a staggering 12.3 million viewers.
This means that the popular BBC sitcom garnered the biggest Christmas Day audience in over a decade, making it the largest non-sporting event in more than 10 years.
These numbers surpassed Gavin and Stacey’s own record set by the previous episode aired in 2019. At that time, the show pulled in an average of 11.6 million viewers, marking the highest overnight ratings for a Christmas Day programme since 2008, reports the Daily Star.
Fans had eagerly anticipated a grand and dramatic final episode, given the cliffhangers left by the 2019 instalment. They were not disappointed as they watched Smithy, portrayed by James Corden, leave his girlfriend Sonia at the altar – a character who only appeared in the 2019 Christmas special – in a bid to win back Nessa, played by Ruth Jones.
In Wednesday’s gripping episode, it was unveiled that Nessa’s proposal – which had left fans in suspense – was interrupted before Smithy could respond. The incident was never discussed again, but as the storyline developed, Smithy realised his ‘true’ feelings for Nessa and rushed to Southampton to prevent her from embarking on a six-month boat trip.
Reflecting on the episode, Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s Chief Content Officer, praised the show’s ability to resonate with audiences across generations during such a pivotal period.:”Christmas Day on the BBC brought people together in their millions and saw Gavin and Stacey triumph.
“Ruth Jones and James Corden created a magical finale that fans will treasure forever. Their exquisitely written comedy creation is a show all about family, love and joy and it proved to be the unmissable TV event of the year.”
The BBC subsequently dominated other channels in terms of viewership, with all top ten most-viewed programmes on Christmas Day being broadcast on the BBC. Wallace and Gromit’s latest film – A Vengeance Most Fowl – secured second place, drawing an impressive overnight audience of 9.4 million; while the King’s Speech attracted 5 million viewers.