'Gavin & Stacey' fans ecstatic over Christmas special news

James Corden has announced that the hit sitcom Gavin & Stacey will be returning for a Christmas special.

The Late Late Show presenter took to Twitter on Tuesday morning to share the news, exciting fans so much that he even managed to get ‘Christmas Day’ trending in May.

Sharing an image of the script, Corden wrote: “Ruth Jones and I have been keeping this secret for a while... We’re excited to share it with you. See you on Christmas Day.”

In a joint statement, Corden and his co-writer Ruth Jones revealed that they had been secretly plotting to bring back the BBC One sitcom for some time.

“Over the last 10 years we’ve talked a lot about Gavin and Stacey – where they might be today and what their lives might look like,” they said.

“So, in secret, we took the plunge and wrote this one-hour special. We’ve loved revisiting Barry and Essex again, and bringing the characters back together has been a joy.

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“We’re so excited to get the chance to work with our fabulous cast and crew once more and to give fans of the show a festive treat this Christmas. Thank you BBC for helping to make this happen.”

Corden and Jones will be reprising their roles as Smithy and Nessa, alongside leads while Mathew Horne and Joanna Page. Supporting cast members Rob Brydon, Larry Lamb, Melanie Walters and Alison Steadman will also be returning.

Fans have since taken to Twitter to share their delight at the news.

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The show follows the story of Gavin (Horne), from Essex, and Stacey (Page), from Barry in Wales, who fell in love and married after speaking on the phone to each other every day at work.

It’s been almost 10 years since fans last saw the characters, with the last episode airing in January 2010.