Gavin & Stacey star "disappointed" not to be asked back
Gavin & Stacey star Oscar Hartland has revealed he's "disappointed" not to be asked back for the show's upcoming Christmas special.
The fan-favourite show is due to finally return for a one-off episode later this year, with fans eager to see what happened after that cliffhanger in the 2019 special.
Hartland played Smithy (James Corden) and Nessa's (Ruth Jones) young son Neil (aka Neil The Baby), who appeared in four episodes in season three before returning for the 2019 special.
"I'm disappointed. I was hoping to get the call," Hartland told The Sun.
Related: Gavin & Stacey star's 2012 BBC sitcom is now on Netflix
"Neil must feature in the final episode because he's Smithy and Nessa's son, they can't write him out. Neil would be 15, the same age as me."
Despite not returning, the actor went on to share that he "loved working on the show" back in 2019, adding: "I obviously can't remember my first spell as baby Neil because I was so young.
"But I had a great time working again when I was 10, especially as I had to have a month off school. All my scenes were with Ruth and she was brilliant with me, we got on really well.
"She was my on-screen mum and my off-screen mum too. She really looked after me."
Related: Best streaming services UK 2024 — including Disney Plus, Netflix, iPlayer and Apple TV+
But despite not hearing anything yet, Hartland added he hasn't given up hope of receiving a call to play Neil one last time.
"They filmed the last Christmas Special in August so they can't be far away," he explained. "But I know that the script is being kept a strict secret and even Joanna Page who plays Stacey hasn't got a clue where the story is going to go."
He concluded: "This is my last chance to play Neil because there's never going to be another episode. I'm glad about that, it will bring closure to the show that everyone has loved for more than 17 years."
Related: Gavin & Stacey's Joanna Page reveals one thing she's "not doing" in new special
The 2024 special was confirmed back in May, with James Corden recently revealing that filming will get underway in early autumn.
"We'll be shooting it around September/October time," he said on Zoe Ball's BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show last month. "It's going to be tight to get it in and delivered."
Corden went on to explain that he and co-writer Jones have to make a "few more trims" and "adjustments" to the script, but shared he's "very excited to share it with people".
Gavin & Stacey series 1-3 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer. The Gavin & Stacey 2024 Christmas special will air on Christmas Day on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Check out Digital Spy's curated round-up of the best Amazon Prime Day deals for 2024 here
You Might Also Like
