Gavin & Stacey is reportedly at the ‘centre of a bidding war’ as the BBC and Netflix fight over the right to the sitcom’s new festive special.
The beloved comedy has been reported to be returning for the first time in five years at Christmas.
The series has long been aired on the BBC, since its creation in 2007, but sources have claimed Netflix is battling to steal it.
The streaming giant is hoping to be able to use its huge financial power as an incentive to take over the show.
While BBC bosses are banking on their guaranteed big UK audience on Christmas Day to seal the deal.
Gavin & Stacey is reportedly at the ‘centre of a bidding war’ as the BBC and Netflix fight over the right to the sitcom’s new festive special
The comedy is reported to be returning for the first time in five years at Christmas. It has aired on the BBC since its creation in 2007, but sources have claimed Netflix is battling to steal it
Speaking to The Sun, a TV insider said: ‘The Beeb wants this to be their gift to the nation on Christmas Day.
‘But because they’re funded by licence fee payers, they know they can’t compete with an international streaming giant when it comes to offering a huge six-figure deal.
‘They’re hoping offering the prime festive spot and the promise of another huge audience will be enough. Netflix may have the money, but they don’t have viewers in virtually every living room.”
It was previously claimed that Netflix had made it ‘very, very explicit’ they want to air the special, and the streaming company’s CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters are ‘extremely excited’ as they can top the BBC’s offer.
However, an insider told The Sun that the show’s creators, James Corden and Ruth Jones, ‘aren’t about the money’.
They added: ‘Obviously the show has a special history with the BBC, and this seems like its natural and obvious home.
‘Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore has spoken to the pair and made it clear she wants the show to stay put’.
Earlier this month, Deadline reported that a new episode of the iconic series will be filmed over the summer and screened at Christmas.
Earlier this month, Deadline reported that a new episode of the iconic series will be filmed over the summer and screened at Christmas
Previously, the series returned for a Christmas Special back in 2019, but ended on a jaw-dropping cliffhanger when Nessa – played by Ruth – got down on one knee and proposed to her on/off flame Smithy – played by James
They added that most of the cast will return for the special, including Matthew Horne as Gavin and Joanna Page as Stacey, as well as fan-favourites Rob Brydon, Alison Steadman, Larry Lamb and Julia Davis.
Viewers couldn’t contain their excitement following the announcement and begged for there to be ‘no more cliffhangers’ and for all of the old ones to be resolved.
Previously, the series returned for a Christmas Special back in 2019, but ended on a jaw-dropping cliffhanger when Nessa – played by Ruth – got down on one knee and proposed to her on/off flame Smithy – played by James.
Elsewhere during the special fans were left more desperate than ever to find out what really happened on the infamous fishing trip.
After years of not knowing what occurred it appeared Uncle Bryn was ready to reveal what led to him and Jason falling out on the trip during the festive family gathering .
The pair were gifted with a photo of themselves together which, unbeknownst to Gwen (Melanie Walters) who gave them the present, was taken on the fishing trip.
Bryn (Rob Brydon) and Jason (Robert Wilfort) both immediately fell silent as the mysterious events of the trip came back to them.
The fishing trip has been a running gag throughout the series and was the cause of Bryn and Jason’s long-standing troubled relationship in the early episodes.
After James Corden was spotted meeting co-creator Ruth Jones in London’s Soho in November 2023, speculation about a return went into overdrive
Following the news that the iconic drama is set to return for the first time in five years this Christmas, viewers urged the writers to tie up certain loose ends
Fans thought they were finally going to get an answer to what really happened on the trip when Bryn stood up to get it off his chest, but he was interrupted by Gavin and Stacey’s children running into the room.
The fishing trip has never properly been spoken off causing fans to brand the cliffhanger as the ‘best unsolved mystery of all time’.
Fans have long hoped James’ decision to move back to the UK following his eight-year stint hosting The Late Late Show in the US will increase the chances of making another episode.
And after James was spotted meeting co-creator Ruth in London’s Soho in November 2023, speculation went into overdrive.
Previously, James told the RTS Cambridge Convention he felt ‘compelled to come home’ after leaving The Late Late Show after hosting 1,000.
However, he has not stopped interviewing celebrities as his new venture, called This Life of Mine with James Corden, has already scored top guests such as Martin Scorsese, Kim Kardashian and David Beckham.
He also confessed that he didn’t know if he would do any more Gavin and Stacey but stressed he would ‘love to make something together again’ with Jones at the convention.
Sheridan Smith addressed the possibility of a reboot of the smash hit sitcom in an interview late last year .
Previously Joanna crushed fans’ hopes of a Gavin and Stacey comeback, saying the legendary sitcom is unlikely to ever return
Speaking to Jason King and Kelly Brook on Heart Breakfast, Sheridan said she didn’t know if the show will return, but said she thinks ‘so many shows overdo it’.
The actress – who played Rudi, the sister of Smithy – suggested that the show would not be back, despite fans ‘all wanting’ the all-star cast to return.
During her radio appearance, she said: ‘I have not a clue if they’re going to do any more or not, I really don’t know.’
‘I think what they’ve done is genius, they’ve left it on a high haven’t they, so many shows overdo it, because we all want more, we all want more Gavin & Stacey.’
Her comments came after Joanna crushed fans’ hopes of a comeback , claiming the legendary sitcom was unlikely to ever return.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Joanna said: ‘I can see them never doing any more because it was nice to leave it on a cliffhanger because it’s up to the viewer to imagine what would have happened. So I can imagine them ending it like that.’
Yet she added: ‘All I can say is, if they were going to do another one I hope it’s soon because we’re all getting so old, I don’t particularly want to see Stacey get that much older.
‘And if there is a comeback, I’ll find out at the same time as the public because I don’t get told anything.’
