Actress and singer Sheridan Smith has confirmed she won’t be appearing in the upcoming Gavin and Stacey Christmas special.
The popular sitcom is due to return for a one-off episode this December – almost 10 years since it came to an end after three series.
James Corden and Ruth Jones, who co-created the show, said in an official statement: “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.
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“And 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.”
Speaking further, the pair said they are “so excited” at the prospect of once again working with the programme’s “fabulous cast and crew”.
Fans are looking forward to the return, after nearly a decade, of James Corden as Smithy and Ruth Jones as Nessa, as well as show favourites Mathew Horne, Joanna Page, Larry Lamb, Rob Brydon, Alison Steadman and Melanie Walters.
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 @BBCOne #GavinandStacey pic.twitter.com/gTRa3cp90t
— James Corden (@JKCorden) May 28, 2019
But unfortunately for fans of Sheridan Smith, who played Smithy’s younger sister Rudi in series two and three, the actress won’t be returning with the rest of them.
During an appearance on Radio 2, she was asked about the Christmas special and admitted she won’t be making an appearance.
She said in the interview: “I wish! No, I’m not going to be in it, I think.”
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Her co-star Larry Lamb, who plays Mick, was the first cast member to talk about the Gavin and Stacey Christmas special since news of the comeback was confirmed.
He featured on This Morning last month and let slip that filming was due to get underway very soon.
In his conversation with co-hosts Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford, Larry also revealed that James Corden called him personally and asked him to return as Mick.
The former EastEnders actor said: “I was just going to make this phone call, nothing important, I forget what it was and then all of a sudden I get this phone call from a Los Angeles number.
“Then someone said ‘Hello, Larry, it’s James Corden’. And I couldn’t believe it. I said, ‘What do you want?’ and on it went. We just had about 10 minutes on the phone.”
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