Gavin And Stacey star quiet on Christmas finale wedding

Alison Steadman, who plays Gavin’s mother Pam, said she was sworn to secrecy over whether Nessa and Smithy finally tie the knot.

There has been speculation Ruth Jones’s character will marry James Corden’s character in the final episode of the comedy which airs on Christmas Day.

Alison Steadman has refused to reveal whether there is a wedding in the final episode of Gavin And Stacey (Ian West/PA)

The hit TV series aired between 2007 and 2010 and returned in 2019 with a one-off festive episode that ended on a cliff-hanger when Nessa proposed to Smithy.

With the show returning for a final Christmas special, fans of the series believe it will end with an emotional wedding.

The comedy starred Mathew Horne and Joanna Page as young couple Gavin and Stacey who fall in love despite one living in Essex and the other in Wales.

Larry Lamb and Steadman play Gavin’s parents Mick and Pam, while Melanie Walters stars as Stacey’s widowed mother Gwen with Rob Brydon as her Uncle Bryn.

Steadman, 78, was speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival to promote her newly published memoir, Out Of Character.

The Liverpool-born star spoke of her early career in theatre before landing leading roles in Mike Leigh’s Nuts In May and Abigail’s Party, as well as The Singing Detective and Pride And Prejudice.

Returning to Gavin And Stacey, she was asked whether “do they, or don’t they?” and Steadman replied: “I don’t know.”

She joked she could be bribed for a “a couple of million…” but then added: “No, no, no, I cannot say a word and I will not say a word to anyone at all.”

Steadman explained the show began on BBC Three before moving to BBC Two and then BBC One as it became more popular.

“It was Ruth and James’s first thing that they wrote together, and the BBC obviously loved it, but they couldn’t kind of risk pushing it straight onto BBC One, so it went on to BBC Three, and then it moved to BBC Two, got more and more popular, and ended up on BBC One.”

Steadman was asked whether the character of Pam was created through her own improvisation or from the writing of Jones and Corden.

“Well, I wouldn’t say I’m like Pam at all but what they did was they wrote this wonderful, wonderful character who’s one minute, you know, shouting, ‘Mick! Mick! Stop that! or whatever’,” she said.

“And the next minute she’s flinging her arms around him and they’re cuddling and, you know, it’s really lovely. And she loves her son, her little prince.

Joanna Page, who plays Stacey (left) and Ruth Jones, who plays Nessa (right) were filming the Christmas special in South Wales in September (Ben Birchall/PA)

“And when we finished filming the other day, I got this lovely card from Matt Horne, who plays Gavin, and he just said, ‘I’m so, so proud to think I’ve had you as my mum in the series’.

“It was just so lovely. It’s been such a great show to do.”

Pressed again on whether Smithy had said yes to Nessa’s proposal, Steadman replied: “No, I will not put you out of your misery. I’m not saying a word. More than my life’s worth.

“The main thing is, when we were filming, truly the paparazzi were everywhere taking pictures, they thought it was a nightmare, and there were people at the end of the street.

“They were here and there and everyone.

“And the main thing is that Ruth and James were saying to everyone is we don’t want to spoil it for you. We want Christmas Day to be a surprise.

“And once you know a bit of secret or a story, then you’re going to spoil it.

“We want it to be (a surprise). And that is what I want too.”