Gavin and Stacey: What have the cast been up to since the last episode?

The "last ever episode" of the popular sitcom Gavin & Stacey will air later this year, according to James Corden.

On Instagram, Corden shared a photo of co-creator Ruth Jones and him clutching a screenplay.

In the caption, Corden said: "Some news...It's official! We have finished writing the last ever episode of Gavin & Stacey. See you on Christmas Day, BBC One. Love Ruth and James."

Following speculation in US media earlier this year, there had been rumours of a Christmas Day return for the series.Although Jones has previously refuted the rumours, the show's return has now been formally announced.

With spectators eagerly awaiting Smithy's reaction to Nessa's marriage proposal, the previous programme ended on a cliffhanger.

We still have a couple more months to go until we find out if Smithy has said yes or no, but what have the cast been up to since the last special aired in 2019?

Ruth Jones as Nessa Jenkins

Ruth Jones stole the show as the beloved character Nessa, the humorous amusement park employee and "original member" of All Saints who gets pregnant after a one-night fling with Smithy.

The 57-year-old went on to work on historical plays and host her own talk show, Ruth Jones' Christmas Cracker, after Gavin and Stacey. She went on to create two additional novels after her debut – a romance about second chances, Never Greener, was released in 2018.

Ahead of the release of her third book, Love Untold, she told Good Housekeeping that she would always be friends with co-creator Corden because they both owe so much to the show.

Mathew Horne as Gavin Shipman

Mathew Horne plays the lead role of Gavin, sometimes known as Gavlar or Gavala. Gavin is an optimistic man from Essex who still lives with his parents and likes to have beers with his friend Smithy.

He discreetly wed set designer Celina Bassili, in her home city of Oslo, Norway, in September 2021. The couple exchanged vows on the 15-acre estate of a palace from the 1930s.The pair initially made their relationship known to the public in November 2019 after being spotted sharing a kiss during the while filming for Gavin and Stacey.

Joanna Page as Stacey Shipman

Joanna Page, a Welsh actress, plays the role of Stacey, Gavin's future wife and love interest.

After Gavin and Stacey concluded in 2019, she provided the voice of Carphone Warehouse's Christmas TV ad campaign as well as a number of radio spots. In addition, she has starred in several TV shows, including The Masked Singer, Midsummer Murders, and Doctor Who. After being revealed as Pig, Joanna became the second famous person to be ousted from the 2022 ITV’s The Masked Singer.

She is married to fellow actor James Thornton, and the pair even starred together in the BBC adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel David Copperfield.

James Corden as Smithy

James Corden, the co-writer, portrays Gavin's primary school closest friend Smithy, who had feelings for Stacey's best friend Nessa.

Last year, Corden concluded his eight-year tenure as host of The Late Late Show on US television.

He has also appeared in two musical comedy films, The Prom and Cinderella.

In March, he announced he would be making a return to theatre starring as Alec in a new political drama by Joe Penhall called The Constituent, opposite Anna Maxwell Martin.

Rob Brydon as Bryn West

Rob Brydon plays the brother of Stacey's late father, Uncle Bryn, in the popular television series. He was a single guy in his late forties who kept a dark secret from his nephew, Jason.

Since 2019, Brydon has had a few more roles in TV and film.

He appeared in the opening segment of the second season of McDonald & Dodds in 2021. He then voiced The Crow in Superworm with Olivia Colman and Matt Smith, competed on Celebrity Catchphrase, and narrated The Chasers Road Trip: Trains, Brains, and Automobiles in the same year. He is also the regular host of Would I Lie To You?.He also voiced the Pied Piper in The Amazing Maurice with Hugh Laurie, Emilia Clarke, Hugh Bonneville, and David Thewlis . It that wasn’t already impressive, Brydon played a brief part as Sugar Daddy Ken in Greta Gerwig's comedy Barbie in 2023, which starred Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie.In 2022, Brydon made an appearance in Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends revue, where he costarred with Haydn Gwynne in the marital conflict from Company, The Little Things You Do Together.

Larry Lamb as Mick Shipman

Playing the role of Gavin's grounded father Mick, Larry Lamb's character was a calming influence on his spouse Pam and took pleasure in playing golf and having a beer at the bar.

Lamb took to the floor alongside five other celebrities for the festive episode of Strictly Come Dancing in 2022, and was paired with professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova.

He was previously in EastEnders, where his character, Archie Mitchell, was infamously killed off after being attacked with a bust of Queen Victoria.

More recently, Lamb has appeared in the drama series The Inheritance on Channel 5 and acted in a few films, including Me, Myself and I, Old Windows, and Hounded.

Alison Steadman as Pam Shipman

Gavin's extravagant Essex mother, played by Alison Steadman, has made people chuckle throughout the show.

Last year, Steadman was in the sitcom Here We Go, where she played Sue Jessop, a devoted TV mother.

She also reunited with co-star Lamb to take a journey down memory lane on a 210-mile road trip from Billericay in Essex to South Wales’s Barry Island for the TV show Alison & Larry: Billericay to Barry.

Melanie Walters as Gwen West

Melanie Walters plays Gwen, the widowed mother of Stacey. She is a homemaker who frequently offers to make omelettes but is taken advantage of by Nessa.

Walters has made several TV appearances since 2019, including Father Brown, Biff & Chip, and The Snow Spider. She also starred as Iris in the 2021 film La Cha Cha.