Gavin and Stacey actor Daniel Jeffrey has shared an intriguing tale of being ‘tracked down’ for the show’s finale, having taken a different career path away from acting in recent years.
Daniel portrayed Simon in the first two series of the beloved BBC sitcom over ten years ago, a character who was part of Gavin Shipman (Mathew Horne) and Neil ‘Smithy’ Smith’s (James Corden) friend circle, alongside Gary Finch (Jason Gregg).
Both Gary and Simon made a comeback for the festive special broadcast on Christmas Day, celebrating Smithy’s stag do and wedding. This nostalgic reunion was highlighted in the behind-the-scenes documentary ‘Gavin and Stacey – A Fond Farewell’, which aired on New Year’s Day, the Mirror reports.
During a touching moment in the documentary, James Corden, addressing cast members Daniel and Jason, remarked: “This is Gary and Simon. The original Gary and Simon.”
Ruth Jones, co-creator of the series, noted: “The casting director, she did a bit of detective work, didn’t she, to track you down.”
Reflecting on the surprising turn of events, Daniel revealed in the documentary: “I actually can’t believe she found me. I had a stage name, Daniel Knightley, because I was working in cinema at the time and I was like I need a better name.
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“So I kind of just landed on a Keira Knightley poster and said ‘I’ll be Daniel Knightley’. So I didn’t even have the same name [when she found me for the finale].”
Daniel shared his shift in profession, explaining: “She tracked me down from the police into becoming a barrister, got in touch with my chambers, who then said ‘oh someone from a casting agency’s contacted you’. And I was like ‘that can only be one thing’ because I’ve really only ever been in one thing’.”
Ruth queried further: “So are you a barrister now? ” to which Daniel confirmed: “Yeah.” Over 12 million viewers tuned in for the much-anticipated “finale” of Gavin and Stacey on Christmas Day, which featured several unexpected cameos. Among them was Laura Aikman’s character Sonia, seen preparing to wed long-time character Smithy.
Sonia had made her entry back in the 2019 festive special which concluded with Smithy being left to ponder over Vanessa ‘Nessa’ Jenkins’s (played by Ruth) marriage proposal while being romantically linked to Sonia.
Fast forward five years in the latest instalment, and it’s revealed Smithy had rejected Nessa’s proposal and instead popped the question to Sonia. However, drama ensued and Smithy abandoned her at the aisle after heartfelt pleas from his close ones.
Culminating the episode, Smithy races against time to stop Nessa from boarding a ship at Southampton, where she planned to embark on a new job-related journey. Catching up to her just in time, the two end up tying the knot, giving fans the closure they’d hoped for.
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