There’s a cause why the unique Gavin & Stacey Christmas episode is persistently hailed as among the finest festive TV specials ever made – it’s a true telly masterpiece, as we’ve beforehand written ourselves.

When it aired, the episode – which sees the West and the Shipmans come collectively for his or her first Christmas as an prolonged household – initially pulled in additional than seven million viewers on Christmas Eve again in 2008.

And with one other Gavin & Stacey particular now nearly upon us, we’re sharing some behind-the-scenes secrets and techniques even the most important followers may not even find out about that very first Christmas episode…

1. The particular was filmed in October 2008 over the course of 12 days in and round Barry, leaving the group with simply two months to edit it earlier than it went out on TV.

2. Creators Ruth Jones and James Corden had the thought for a stand-alone particular as they didn’t have time to place collectively an entire new sequence of Gavin & Stacey.

3. The pair had additionally been fascinated with the thought of bringing collectively the Shipmans and the Wests for Christmas, and the particular likelihood to discover completely different festive foibles.

4. Most of the solid fell sick with flu throughout filming, based on a 2017 interview Ruth Jones gave to Radio Instances, and there was an on-set physician.

5. The primary scene that the solid and crew filmed was the one the place Smithy visits Stacey at work to ask her to assist him along with his Christmas purchasing.

6. This scene was shot on the Culverhouse Cross Marks & Spencer, which is positioned simply exterior Cardiff – regardless of the shop being set in Essex.

7. James Corden admitted he hadn’t discovered his strains correctly earlier than beginning the shoot, and in addition had enjoyable wheeling Joanna Web page round in purchasing crates in between takes.

8. One other location you may need noticed within the particular is the Welcome Break at Cardiff Gate, the place the Barry lot cease off en route to Essex.

9. The newborn who performed Neil was sick throughout Melanie Walters whereas filming on location on the companies.

10. James wasn’t driving Smithy’s automobile within the scene the place he’s singing Do They Know It’s Christmas down the cellphone with Gavin – the crew used what’s known as a low loader, which primarily tows the automobile.

11. Mathew Horne was sat at the back of the low loader whereas James was filming his components of the scene, and sang alongside down a microphone in order that James may hear him within the automobile. He then filmed his flip as Gavin within the scene individually.

12. The kid who visited Nessa’s grotto was performed by Ruth’s real-life nephew, Zakk.

13. Mathew ripped his trousers whereas filming the scene the place Gavin and Stacey come house on Christmas Eve.

14. The Christmas Eve battle scene struck worry into the director as a result of it featured all 12 characters, and Ruth admitted she needed to give him a warning after writing it.

15. The Christmas dinner the gang all tuck into was really cooked on-location in Pam and Mick’s real-life kitchen, Ruth revealed to Radio Instances in 2017.

16. The mammoth scene was filmed on the penultimate day of the 12-day shoot, with press and promotional photos additionally being taken in the home in between takes.

17. James was additionally caught taking naps on the Shipmans’ front room couch throughout his downtime, the place Juila Davis handed the time by drawing on his face.

18. The ultimate scene to be filmed on the final day of the shoot was the unwrapping of the presents, with Dave’s proposal to Nessa being the ultimate shot within the can.

19. There was a sense from James that the solid would “by no means make one other Christmas particular once more” – however fortunately, that proved to not be the case, when in 2019, a follow-up lastly arrived.

The primary two Gavin & Stacey 2008 Christmas specials can be found to observe on BBC iPlayer. One final episode of the award-winning sitcom is because of air on Christmas Day at 9pm on BBC One.