James Corden and Ruth Jones 'turned down multi-million pound Netflix deal' for Gavin and Stacey return

Gavin and Stacey creators and stars James Corden and Ruth Jones reportedly turned down a lucrative offer from Netflix ahead of confirming the beloved comedy is returning.

Corden announced last Friday that the gang would be getting back together for one last hurrah in a Christmas special due to air on the BBC this Christmas.

It was previously reported that the BBC and Netflix were locked in a tug of war to bring the show back, with a source now revealing that Corden and Jones decided not to go with the streaming giant out of a sense of loyalty to the BBC.

The insider told The Sun: “They held conversations with Netflix who threw everything at them to land what is seen as a gem of British comedy.

“James, Ruth and the team were effectively offered a multi-million pound one-off deal, and were promised it would open the show up to a whole new international audience.

“Obviously it was tempting, but they felt Gavin and Stacey belonged to the BBC — and the nation, really. The optics wouldn’t have been great had they ‘sold out’ so they went with their hearts, not the cash.”

The Standard has contacted representatives for the BBC and Netflix for comment.

Gavin and Stacey originally ran over three series between 2007 and 2010 but returned for a one off Christmas special in 2019, which left viewers on a cliffhanger.

On December 25 this year, fans might finally find out if Smithy and Nessa (Corden and Jones’s characters) get together and if the details of the notorious secret “fishing trip” will come outCorden wrote on Instagram: “Some news… It’s official!!! We have finished writing the last ever episode of Gavin and Stacey. See you on Christmas Day, BBC One. Love Ruth and James.”