The Gavin & Stacey finale was packed full of surprises, from the big news about Gwen’s secret relationship to the real nature of Smithy’s engagement.
As the award-winning sitcom returned for its last ever instalment, creators James Corden and Ruth Jones also managed to reintroduce a host of unexpected familiar faces, including Smithy’s sister Rudi, Nessa’s old flame Dave Coaches and all of Gavin and Smithy’s old friends from Essex.
Or, at least, almost all of them.
Yes, there was one old character who didn’t return for Smithy’s stag do, with many voicing their disappointment at Matthew Baynton’s absence from the finale.
deano our welsh speaking king in gavin and stacey WHERE ARE YOU? pic.twitter.com/yn3aYThI7T
— ❥Sandy! ⋆ (@NotSandy_x) December 25, 2024
complete lack of deano in gavin and stacey matthew bayton could they not afford you
— fran ???????????? (@teaatyazs) December 25, 2024
Why wasn’t Deano in the Gavin And Stacey finale?
— Richie Holmes ENICOUT (@richolmestwit) December 27, 2024
I do love we got to see Gavin and Smithys mates for the stag but sad we never got to see Deano again. Would have been good to see Mathew Baynton https://t.co/I0QlTZ9F88
— Jack ???????? (@TotallyTettey) December 26, 2024
the gavin and stacey finale was perfect but it would’ve been sooo much better if mathew baynton was in it???? but we got one agggtm parent for another (anna maxwell martin you saved my day)
— ell???????? (@kyrawfc) December 29, 2024
My only question regarding gavin and Stacey: WHERE WAS DEANO????
— c ???? (@cerysthirlwall) December 26, 2024
Rewatching Gavin & Stacey and Deano not being in the finale is feeling more and more wrong.
— blake (@blake2108) December 28, 2024
The future Horrible Histories and Ghosts star joined Gavin & Stacey in its second season as Deano, a friend and colleague of Smithy’s.
As the show went into its final season, Deano made several more appearances, including when he joined the rest of the Essex boys for a night out in Cardiff.
When Gavin & Stacey came to an end, Matthew and James Corden even co-wrote and starred in the comedy thriller The Wrong Mans, which ran for two seasons.
Since then, he’s also appeared in The Split and the 2023 musical Wonka.
Deano wasn’t the only character who didn’t return for the finale, though.
At a screening for the Christmas Day episode, co-creator Ruth shared that another iconic character was included in an early draft of the original script, but these plans were eventually ditched as there “just wasn’t room for him”.
Some fans also pointed out that Nessa’s dad, played in the third season of Gavin & Stacey by Huw Dafydd, failed to return for his daughter’s wedding towards the end of the episode.
Gavin & Stacey: The Finale received near-unanimous praise from both fans and critics when it finally aired last week, and became the most-watched Christmas Day broadcast in 16 years.
The feature-length episode pulled in an average of 12.3 million viewers (and that’s not even including those of us who watched it on BBC iPlayer), beating the festive special from 2019 which clocked in at 11.6 million.
