Warning: This article contains major spoilers for the Gavin & Stacey Christmas special.
As had already been promised, the Gavin & Stacey Christmas special paid a fitting tribute to Margaret John, who played Doris in the original series.
The Welsh actress played Stacey’s scene-stealing neighbour in eight episodes of the Bafta-winning sitcom, including the first festive episode, in which she famously declared she was “absolutely twatted” after a day of drinking with her much younger lover.
Sadly, she died a year after the last episode of Gavin & Stacey aired on BBC One, with James previously teasing that the show’s reunion episode would pay tribute to her.
The episode has now aired, including a special moment in Margaret’s honour, which saw the Wests and Shipman toasting to her memory in the pub.
In a speech delivered by actress Melanie Walters, in character as Gwen, she said: “Can I just say, seven years to the day… we got the phone call we’d all been dreading to say that our dear friend and neighbour had passed away. And we raised a glass then, and we raise a glass now.”
True to form, Ruth Jones’ character Nessa refused to join in the tribute, though, suggesting she had beef with Doris for not leaving her house to her in her will.
“It’s an outrage, they’re lucky I didn’t invoke my squatters’ rights,” Nessa said.
The episode also ended with a photo of Margaret John, and a message to say the special had been dedicated to her memory.
Although best known for playing Doris, Margaret also appeared in many other TV shows throughout her career, including Crossroads, in which she portrayed Marian Owen.
Following her success in Gavin & Stacey, Margaret also starred in theatre productions of The Vagina Monologues and Calendar Girls.
Her final on-screen credit was in Game Of Thrones, playing the elderly servant Old Nan, who it was believed had been intended to be a recurring character.
The Gavin & Stacey Christmas special is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer. Watch Doris’ finest moment below: