Gavin and Stacey special was like 'friends reuniting'

Oh! Omelettes at the ready - the actress who plays Gwen West in Gavin and Stacey says that each time the cast come together to film it is like "old friends reuniting".

Melanie Walters has played Gwen since the hit sitcom first aired in 2007. The show is back on our screens on Christmas Day for its long-awaited final episode.

Five years on from the cliff-hanger proposal, we could finally find out what happened when Nessa got down on one knee and asked Smithy to marry her.

Despite knowing the answer, Melanie has revealed she will be watching the final episode for the first time alongside everybody else.

Melanie Walters plays Gwen West in the series, a widowed mother with a heart of gold

Melanie, who will soon be appearing in pantomime in Weston-super-Mare, revealed the team are still adding the finishing touches to the 90-minute episode, so she has not yet seen a preview screening of the finale.

"Obviously I've read the script so I know what happens, but they're still editing it because we only finished it in October," she said.

Since falling in love with the industry at four-years-old, Melanie has starred in numerous films and television series - but none more notable than Gavin and Stacey.

"The love for it from the public is extraordinary, and it's been 17 years," she told BBC Radio Bristol.

"I'm just incredibly proud of it as a show, and will always be hugely grateful for having been cast in it."

Three series of the show, totalling 20 episodes, were broadcast between 2007 and 2010

The 62-year-old said people still clamour at her in the street "at least four times a week", with references to fresh omelettes and Welsh idioms.

"I don't think anybody knows my name is Melanie Walters. I'm known as Gwen," she laughed.

"You can't be cross at that though. It's because people like it so much."

More than 18 million viewers tuned in to watch the Christmas special in 2019

This year's festive reunion will serve as the final goodbye to the dysfunctional yet lovable families.

However, Melanie believes their story will live on through the lifelong friendships forged on set.

"When we entered that room for the read through for the last Christmas special, within 10 minutes it was just like we'd seen each other yesterday," she said.

"It's like that really close friend you've not seen for years and years, and when you finally see them, it's like you'd never been apart.

"So that just shows there is such a lovely bond there, a true bond."

Melanie said playing magical characters in the pantomime is "a lot of fun"

Due to her long-running success on the show, job offers began pouring in for Melanie, but she was "very careful about not saying yes to everything".

"It was just about making sure that I stayed on the path I wanted to stay on," she said.

The actress has since found her home on the stage, starring in 13 pantomimes and currently gearing up for another.

Melanie will be bringing 'Fairy Camembert' to life in a pantomime production of Beauty and the Beast, held at the Playhouse Theatre in Weston-super-Mare from 7 until 31 December.