James Corden admits Christmas special was almost axed halfway through after believing script was ‘awful’
James Corden and Ruth Jones have revealed that they nearly abandoned the 2019 Gavin & Stacey Christmas special halfway through writing it, believing the script was “awful”.
The show’s creators, who play Smithy and Nessa in the hit BBC series, made the admission during the new documentary Gavin and Stacey: A Fond Farewell, which aired on BBC One.
The pair explained how they came close to scrapping the entire project after reading their initial draft and deeming it “rubbish” and “terrible”.
Speaking in the documentary, Corden said: “The 2019 special – I don’t know if people know this – but we gave up on it at one point. We’d written maybe halfway through and we went, ‘This is awful, it’s rubbish, it’s terrible.'”
“It’s extraordinary how close we were… I remember us saying to each other, ‘Well thank god we didn’t call the BBC,'” he added.
The pair discussed the issues over dinner at Corden’s home, where they planned to formally abandon the project.
“But then we realised – which is true for every episode of Gavin and Stacey – the reason all these people are together is because of Gavin and Stacey,” Jones explained.
She continued: “So we realised it wasn’t working because there wasn’t anything substantial for them.”
The revelation came as the writing duo sat down to analyse why their initial draft had fallen flat.
This understanding of the show’s core dynamic proved to be a crucial turning point in salvaging the Christmas special.
The breakthrough moment came late that evening, as Corden revealed: “Then that night at 11pm is when we came up with the scene of Stacey holding the matches. And it changed everything.”
This pivotal scene provided the creative spark needed to revitalise the entire special.
The late-night writing session transformed what had seemed like a doomed project just hours earlier into something the creators felt confident about sharing.
The following morning brought a dramatic turnaround, with Corden recalling: “Then we called the BBC the next day and it went from like ‘dead’ to, ‘Oh no it’s alright!'”
The special went on to become a huge success, drawing in 12.5 million viewers to become the most-watched show on Christmas Day.
The behind-the-scenes revelation came as part of the documentary which offered viewers a glimpse into the making of the beloved sitcom’s journey over its 17-year run.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
BBC The Traitors fans react to end of ‘boys club’ in major series debut gender twistJames Corden hails BBC Gavin & Stacey for depicting ‘people that look like us’ falling in loveBBC The Traitors’ Olivia Dean, 26, bravely opens up on teenage cancer battle and eye removal ordeal
Gavin and Stacey’s Christmas Day 2024 finale became the most-watched festive television programme in 16 years, drawing in a massive 12.3 million viewers.
The emotional farewell to the residents of Barry Island surpassed the show’s own previous record of 11.6 million viewers set by its 2019 Christmas special.
The show’s 2019 Christmas special went on to achieve consolidated ratings of 17.1 million viewers within seven days of broadcast, setting a high bar for this year’s finale.