Every surprise cameo in Gavin and Stacey Christmas finale that you might have missed

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Gavin and Stacey: The Finale

When Gavin and Stacey writers announced earlier this year that a grand finale - airing on Christmas Day 2024 - would be tying up all loose ends between the show's characters, fans couldn't wait to find out who'd be getting involved.

It turns out that almost every single star from the BBC sitcom returned for one last appearance last night (25 December) - including the main cast, guest stars and a cameo or two...

A little debrief of the main gang

For those who haven't sunk their teeth into last night's ep, the hour-and-a-half-long show followed the events from the 2019 Christmas special, which saw Nessa (Ruth Jones) get down on one knee and ask Smithy (James Corden) to marry him.

It was soon revealed that Gavin (Mathew Horne) had actually interrupted that night and that Smithy had never given Nessa a 'yes' or 'no' answer, going on to get engaged to girlfriend Sonia (Laura Aikman) instead.

Meanwhile, Gavin and Stacey (Joanna Page) themselves came back with a bang - literally! - with the latter hoping that some time away from the kids to help with planning the wedding would spice up her sex life with Gavin by incorporating a spot of role play.

Gav's parents Pam (Alison Steadman) and Mick (Larry Lamb) also made their long-awaited return, acclimatising to retired life, with their meddlesome neighbours Dawn (Julia Davis) and Pete (Adrian Scarborough) also coming out of hiding, having since split up.

The Wales lot - consisting of Stacey's Uncle Bryn (Rob Brydon), brother Jason (Robert Wilfort) and mum Gwen (Melanie Walters) - also made an appearance, with the latter revealing she's actually been keeping a secret boyfriend behind the scenes.

Last night's final saw the gang getting together for the final time (BBC)

The finale's guest stars

As well as the central characters, viewers were also delighted to see several other supporting stars make their come-back, having remained off-screen since the third series concluded in 2010.

We saw Dave Gooch - also known as 'Dave Coaches' (played by Harry Potter actor Steffan Rhodri) - revealed as Gwen's newfound love interest, despite him having previously been engaged to Nessa.

During last night's appearance, Dave also very nearly spilled the beans on what really went down on Bryn and Jason's fishing trip but was stopped when the fire alarm went off.

Smithy's chaos-causing little sister Rudi (BAFTA-winner Sheridan Smith) also returned alongside their on-screen, narcoleptic mother Cath (played by Matilda star Pam Ferris), having both missed out on the last Christmas special.

Several of his and Gavin's school friends also reappeared for his stag party, including 'Budgie' (Russell Tovey), 'Chinese Alan' (Dominic Gaskell), 'Dirtbox' (Andrew Knott) and 'Fingers' (Samuel Anderson).

Smithy and Nessa's on-screen son Neil, the Baby also made an appearance in the form of aspiring musician Oscar Hartland, who has played the tot since his 'birth' in 2008.

Sonia (played by Waterloo Road star Laura Aikman) - who only made her first appearance as Smithy's new beau during the 2019 one-off - obviously made an appearance at her wedding, with producers having kept her involvement in the show a huge secret.

'Dave Coaches' appeared alongside several other guest stars (BBC)

An unexpected cameo

As well as the show's main stars and its sporadic guest stars, it's hardly a surprise anymore when Gavin and Stacey producers invite a big-name star to appear for a small cameo.

For Nessa's previous nuptials to 'Dave Coaches' in the third series, John Prescott rocked up, with the bride having previously claimed him as one of her lovers.

The same occasion also saw Gwen and Stacey's neighbour Doris (played by the late Margaret John) bring Hear'Say singer Noel Sullivan as her date, having joked previously about striking up a romance with the noughties musician.

Last night, however, it was the turn of much-loved actor Anna Maxwell Martin to make a cameo appearance as the vicar hired to officiate Smithy and Sonia's wedding.

The much-loved Line of Duty star - also recognised for her roles in BBC comedy Motherland, and the serial drama Bleak House - asked the crowd whether or not they had any objections to Smithy and Sonia's wedding, during which Gavin expressed his doubts.

This later resulted in all other members of the squad standing up to demonstrate their concerns, with Smithy realising he really loves Nessa and ditching Sonia at the altar.