The much-adored series, penned by Ruth Jones and James Corden, makes a highly anticipated return tonight with its final Christmas special. Originally airing from 2007 to 2010 the show captured hearts with its humour and heartfelt moments. It was revived in 2019 for a special holiday episode, and now, fans will say goodbye to the characters one last time.

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Earlier this year, Corden hinted at the upcoming special during an interview with Zoe Ball on Radio 2: “When we wrote that last special we never thought we’d make another, but that special ends on such a…its ends so open I think it would be a shame to leave it there. That’s certainly my feeling and I think Ruth feels the same. It doesn’t feel like the end of a book but the end of a chapter. If we did another, that would be the end of it.”

One of the show’s most iconic elements is its theme song, ‘Run’. However, originally Fretwell was reluctant to have the track featured on the sitcom, turning down the request from his publisher friend asking for permission to use the track. 

Speaking to the BBC, the English singer-songwriter reflected: “Then about two months later it came out and it had the song on it. I saw Joe a few nights later and I said to him, ‘Hey that song is on that show’ and he said, ‘Yeah, it’s great isn’t it?’ I was like ‘I told you not to put that on the show.’ And he was like, ‘No, you said you wanted it on,‘ and he was smirking at me.” 

Despite his initial hesitation, Fretwell now regards the inclusion of his song as “the best thing anyone has ever done” for him. He’s become “incredibly proud to be associated” with Gavin & Stacey, even though he didn’t watch the sitcom at first. 

‘Run’ is a piece known for its emotional depth and simplicity. It weaves themes of love, loss, and longing with a hauntingly simple acoustic guitar melody. Its reflective lyrics make it universally relatable and perfectly complimenting the sitcom which showcases a multitude of relationships. 

Fretwell’s music has been featured in other soundtracks, including ‘Darling Don’t’ in the teen drama Skins and ‘Play’ in the 2009 film The Joneses. However, ‘Run’ remains his most recognisable track, popularised due to its association with the sitcom.

Alongside theme songs, Fretwell has released three studio albums, with his most recent, ‘Busy Guy’ (2021), marking his return after a decade-long hiatus. The album’s raw honesty and introspective themes earned widespread critical acclaim, reaffirming Fretwell’s reputation as a unique and compelling storyteller. 

On BBC One tonight at 9pm, as Gavin & Stacey comes to its final chapter, Stephen Fretwell’s ‘Run’ will once again play throughout the nation. For fans of the show and Fretwell’s music alike, it’s a poignant and bittersweet farewell to an iconic pairing. 

The Sun newspaper reported an insider for the BBC to of said, “The BBC has gone all out with securing talent for this year’s Top Of The Pops Christmas special and they want it to be bigger and better than ever. Getting Craig to join the line-up was a real coup as he’s such a legend. He’ll be performing his song Really Love with KSI but everyone would love it if there was time for him to throw in one of his classics. It’s been a tough year for the industry so the Beeb is going to make this year’s one-off episode as ­celebratory as possible.”

Craig rose to fame in 1999 having featured on the single, ‘Re-Rewind,’ by Artful Dodger. His debut solo album ‘Born To Do It’ was released in 2000 from which he had four Top 10 singles, which sold more than 8 million copies worldwide and earnt multi platinum selling status in more than 20 countries. Since then he released another six albums and has not only had success as a singer, but as a rapper, DJ, record producer and song writer, proving he’s an all rounder when it comes to music talent.

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Craig released his latest album ‘The Time Is Now’ in 2018, which reached Number 2 in the UK album charts and last month he announced he’s been working on his comeback. The Sun reported him saying, “I’ve been recording loads of music through lockdown. I love to think I can keep singing for ever and I will sing for as long as I can. And I hope the fans welcome that.” His latest track ‘Really Love’ currently sits at number 11 in the Official UK Charts, after it’s 5th week of being released.

BBC have also announced a New Years Eve Special ‘Top Of The Pops’ show for this year. Both shows will be hosted by Ferne Cotton and Clara Amfo who took over from Regi Yates in 2017. Fern admitted to The List that she was worried the show maybe cancelled this year due to the Coronavirus. She said, “I have my fingers crossed that they will find some sort of socially distanced way to make it happen. It’s such a tradition now that you sit down to watch it as a family, and your parents complain how awful pop music is today and then you all go and have your lunch.”

There is no doubt people will be looking forward to the popular iconic music chart show on the festive day to add some Christmas cheer. With the current line up in place, the festive programme will surely not disappoint.