Oscar Hartland, who played Neil the baby in Gavin and Stacey, looked all grown up as he joined his co-stars for a reunion at the Gavin and Stacey: The Finale screening in London. The cast of the much-loved BBC sitcom came together ahead of the eagerly anticipated Christmas special, which fans have been waiting for for five years.
The popular series will wrap up on Christmas Day. Oscar, who has played Nessa (Ruth Jones) and Smithy’s (James Corden) son since he was a youngster, celebrated his 16th birthday this week and reunited with his on-screen parents at the screening.
His character, Neil, was born following a one-night stand between Nessa and Smithy during their rocky relationship. He first graced our screens in the season two finale in 2008 and last appeared in the 2019 Christmas special.
Oscar was barely recognisable as he strolled down the red carpet in a white T-shirt, baggy jeans and a red star-patterned cardigan. Outside of his role as Neil, Oscar is concentrating on his music career, reports Birmingham Live.
He is the guitarist and co-frontman of South Wales band Redwood City and last year he even competed on The Voice Kids as a solo artist, according to the Mirror.
The actor told The Sun: “I grew up knowing I was Neil The Baby, but it was after the Christmas special (when he was 10) that my life literally turned around. I went from a kid that was in a show when he was a baby to a kid in a TV even going into the supermarket was mad.”
Viewers are counting down the hours until the festive episode of the beloved series airs on Christmas Day at 9pm, slated for an enthralling run of 1 hour and 35 minutes, wrapping up at 10.35pm. Teasing exciting developments, this year’s holiday special has fans itching to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding Uncle Bryn and Jasons infamous fishing trip – a narrative gem kept under strict secrecy since its initial hint.
Since its start in 2007, the enigmatic storyline has ignited fan conjecture and the anticipation is palpable, as theories abound. Additionally, we’ll finally see what unfolds after Nessa’s (played by Ruth Jones) unexpected proposal to Smithy (James Corden), a cliffhanger that has left viewers in suspense for half a decade.
In a startling development off-screen, Matthew Horne, who stars as Gavin, suffered a head injury during a live stage show of The Tempest at London’s prestigious Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Horne encountered the mishap just ten minutes into Tuesday evening’s production, resulting in a brief intermission.
Following the incident, where Horne smacked his forehead against a stage prop, he took a mere 15-minute respite before making the courageous decision to proceed with his performance.
Gavin and Stacey will air on Christmas Day on BBC One and iPlayer