The Gavin and Stacey 2019 Christmas Special paid special tribute to late actress Margaret John who sadly died in 2011.
The beloved Welsh star was 84 when she died following the end of the hit BBC show’s original run – and also featured in a number of other high profile shows including Game of Thrones and Last of the Summer Wine.
She starred on Gavin and Stacey between 2007 and 2010 where she played Doris O’Neill – the neighbour of Ruth Jones’s character Vanessa Shanessa ‘Nessa’ Jenkins.
The Christmas special paid tribute to Margaret by including her in a post-credit dedication featuring a photograph of the actress sat at a drum kit.
The image was taken from an episode in which Margaret’s character Doris played the drums while Rob Brydon’s character Brynfor ‘Bryn’ West sang Something Inside So Strong at Neil the Baby's Christening.
Gavin and Stacey writer Ruth had previously said she and co-writer James Corden had been keen to pay tribute to Margaret.
"One of my favourite episodes is when they all go to Barry Island for the bank holiday and Maggie was there,” Ruth said ahead of the 2019 Christmas special airing.
“She was such a special woman and talented actress we wanted to make sure we paid homage,” she explained.
“So we raised a glass to her but we wanted to undercut it with, well, Doris as a character was very rude, very upfront,” she added.
The festive episode saw the characters cheers Doris – with Ruth’s Nessa refusing to take part after being frustrated that Doris had left her home to titular characters Gavin and Stacey rather than to her.
"The biggest sadness was not having Doris there, she was so much part of Gwen’s household. She was like and auntie to Stacey," Ruth said – adding she hoped her late friend would be laughing from above.
The Gavin and Stacey special appeared to be a hit with fans, with many taking to social media to praise the one hour one-off.
However many are now begging the show creators to make more episodes after the special ended on a cliffhanger with Nessa proposing to Smithy.
