Gavin & Stacey aired its final-ever episode on Christmas Day and millions of people chose to tune in to see whether Smithy had accepted Nessa's proposal.
Although the start of the episode seemed to indicate that Smithy had said 'yes', it turned out the loveable character was still with girlfriend Sonia, who at this point was his new fiancée. Laura Aikman, who plays the character, managed to keep her return a secret, even hiding it from her family.
As you can see in the clip above, her parents were shocked to see their daughter return to the much-loved sitcom, with her mother gasping loudly at the reveal. Calls were heard to "press pause" while Laura's mum exclaimed: "You never told me!"
Laura joked in her caption: "I take an NDA very seriously."
© InstagramFans also shared their shock in the comments. One penned: "We screamed at the telly here too!!! Great character, the shoe thing has actually happened at a wedding I presided at, you played it beautifully."
A second added: "Pretty sure I heard the whole of the UK gasp," and a third posted: "I'm 100% sure the WHOLE of the UK was screaming at the TV."
© Tom JacksonSpeaking of Laura's unexpected return, Ruth Jones revealed: "She hasn't even told her mum and dad. She hasn't even told them she's in it."
At a Q+A session, James Corden explained: "You're waiting for key moments like that reveal of Sonia - I do feel like it's very important to say that Laura, who plays Sonia, puts in as good a performance as you could ever wish for."
© BBC/Baby Cow/Neil Bennett"[She] isn't here for fear of it still somehow leaking, and she stayed in different hotels, she was going into places at the dead of night, and she's not part of [the press screening]—such is her want and our want to try and protect the very feeling that we had here. It would be lovely to give her a round of applause!"
Ahead of the episode airing, James took to Instagram to reveal he had watched the finale alongside Ruth. The pair posed for a sweet selfie together in front of a Christmas tree.
© GettyJames captioned the post: "We had to be together to watch tonight. We really hope you enjoy the finale of Gavin and Stacey. It has been the greatest privilege making this show over the past 17 years. We'll see you on BBC One at 9pm. The years go by so fast, let's hope the next beats the last. Happy Christmas."
