The highly anticipated Gavin & Stacey Christmas special delivered an unexpected twist with Laura Aikman reprising her role as Sonia in what appeared to be a wedding storyline with James Corden's character Smithy.
In a masterful misdirection planned by co-creator James Corden, the episode's opening minutes led viewers to believe they would witness Sonia and Smithy's nuptials, despite the pair having previously split in the 2019 Christmas special.
The plot twist was carefully crafted to subvert audience expectations, as revealed by Corden at a London screening panel. "I had this idea at three o'clock in the morning...to trick everybody into thinking that for the first six or seven minutes they're just going to watch a wedding between Sonia and Smithy," Corden explained.
The wedding scene takes a dramatic turn when Mathew Horne's character Gavin confronts Smithy about making a mistake. The story then shifts focus to Ruth Jones's beloved character Nessa, who is headed to Southampton for work. In true romantic comedy fashion, the episode culminates with Smithy racing to declare his love for Nessa, proposing on one knee.
The finale brings closure to the cliffhanger from the 2019 special, where Nessa had proposed to Smithy. The episode concludes with an unconventional wedding ceremony, featuring Nessa in a characteristically nontraditional black dress.
Aikman's performance as Sonia proved central to the episode's success, helping deliver a surprising narrative that kept viewers guessing until the very end.