Gavin and Stacey star Ruth Jones makes feelings clear over 'really mean' leak ahead of revival
The announcement about the show was leaked back in February
Instagram/ITV
Gavin and Stacey star Ruth Jones has hit out the leaked news regarding the comedy series return, labelling it "mean".
Jones and co-star James Corden, who both also write the series, announced earlier this month that one final episode of the hit comedy show would air this Christmas after a five-year hiatus.
Fans of the comedy were delighted to learn the news, but not everyone was surprised as it was leaked earlier in the year by US news outlet Deadline.
Opening up about the ruined secret, Jones, 57, candidly shared her thoughts as she branded it "really mean".
Speaking on BBC Radio 4, she commented: "It was unfortunate because James and I wanted to give everybody a nice surprise and I think it was really mean that they leaked it."
She went on: "Because also it meant that I had to lie to people, to friends and family, because they were all saying, 'is it happening?' and the reality is that until you have your cast booked, budget worked out, all of those things, you cannot say categorically that it is going to happen."
The leak sent fans of the comedy, which first aired in 2007, into a frenzy as excitement grew.
They would have to wait until May for the official announcement though, which came when Corden, 45, posted a snap on his Instagram account.
The photo depicted him and Jones holding up a script that read: "Gavin and Stacey: the finale".
He captioned the photo: "Some news… It’s official!!! We have finished writing the last ever episode of Gavin and Stacey."
The series aired on the BBC from 2007 to 2010
BBC
He signed off the announcement: "See you on Christmas Day, BBC One. Love Ruth and James."
The series officially ended in 2010, but there have since been a few Christmas specials. However, the last one to air was back in 2019.
The comeback episode was also highly-anticipated but it left fans on a huge cliffhanger after Nessa Jenkins, played by Jones, proposed to Corden's character Smithy.
Ever since, fans have hoped for another instalment to find out the fate of the two favourites, but began to lose hope as the years went on with no news of a revival.
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Corden and Jones wrote and starred in the series
BBC
Soon after the leaked news back in February, it was reported the BBC was facing a bidding war with Netflix over the show.
A source told The Sun at the time: "The provisional Netflix offer, coming as it does from a global conglomerate, dwarfs anything that the Beeb could offer — but Ruth and James aren’t about the money.
"They simply want to offer fans the best viewing experience possible, and, essentially, get as many bums on seats to watch their baby.
"It would be a huge coup for Netflix to steal this flagship British comedy from the nose of the BBC and, indeed, there may be a world in which this happens."