Gavin and Stacey stars James Corden and Ruth Jones are inseparable in loving on-set photos

Ruth Jones and James Corden held hands and walked arm in arm in Barry, sparking hope for a romantic union Christmas special of Gavin and Stacey.

The series creators James, 46, and Ruth, 57, were filming along Trinity Street in Barry, South Wales when they were snapped by fans who waiting to greet them.

The well-wishers crowded along the now famous road, the town’s Trinity Street – where Gwen, Uncle Bryn, Gavin and Stacey live in the series.

James was snapped with his arm around Ruth, and holding her hand as they enjoyed the sunshine and took a stroll.

In 2019, fans were left on a cliffhanger as Nessa (Jones) proposed to Smithy (Corden) and the festive episode ended before he had the chance to respond.

But the duo’s warm display on set may have got fans’ hopes up when it comes to the upcoming Christmas special as it appeared that their characters may be set to end their will-they-won’t-they narrative – finally!

Although Ruth was clearly in character as the iconic Vanessa ‘Nessa’ Shanessa Jenkins, it looked as though James may not have been in character as he wore a rather polished look that wasn’t quite in keeping with his character Smithy’s style choices.

Although the camera was rolling in the background it appeared as though the crew was filming the behind-the-scenes footage and not actually shooting the cosy display for the show.

Nonetheless, fans were still delighted to see the duo together – only increasing anticipation for the upcoming Christmas special.

The cast has tried to keep a lid on spoilers for the episode, with closed sets, but fans have still managed to catch a glimpse of the stars filming.

Neil the baby actor was unrecognisable as a teenager on set earlier this month, after playing the same character since he was a baby.

In contrast, Melanie Walters, who plays Gwen West, looked ageless as she returned to set 17 years after the show’s debut and looked exactly the same as she did in 2007.

Images snapped of the cast on set showed they were all dressed in bright formal wear – leading some to speculate that a wedding might be set to take place in the hotly-anticipated episode.

The creators have sadly confirmed that this Christmas special will be the ‘last ever’ episode of Gavin and Stacey. Which only makes the expectations higher for the show! Did Smithy say yes to Nessa’s proposal? Is Smithy still living in Essex? Will we ever find out what happened on that fishing trip??