Figures show over half of Welsh population have watched Gavin & Stacey: The Finale

Speaking at an event for industry leaders in Cardiff last night, the BBC’s Director-General, Tim Davie, announced record-breaking figures for Gavin & Stacey in Wales, saying: “nothing demonstrates the BBC’s ability to bring people together like the extraordinary success of Gavin & Stacey”.

1.8m people in Wales, or 59% of the Welsh population (compared with 20.9m/32% of UK population), have now watched Gavin & Stacey: The Finale, making it the most watched TV moment in Wales since at least 2002, ahead of the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony peak of 1.4m.

In Wales you’re twice as likely (than the rest of the UK) to have watched The Finale at least twice.

Welsh popularity

Across the UK, 2.8m have watched the Christmas Day episode more than once, equivalent to 4% of the UK population.

In Wales, the corresponding figure is 245,000, equivalent to 8% of the Wales population.

And if you’re in Barry and the surrounding areas (CF postcode), you’re 29% more likely to have watched The Finale on BBC iPlayer. Tidy.

Emotional documentary

The figures also reveal that Gavin & Stacey: A Fond Farewell is the best performing single BBC Wales programme on record with 8.7m views across the UK.

BBC Cymru Wales commissioned the emotional documentary which featured many of the cast and some of the series’ die-hard fans as they looked back on 14 years of the beloved show.

Rhuanedd Richards, Director of BBC Cymru Wales, said: “I’m incredibly proud to see the success of Gavin & Stacey, The Finale and our documentary,  both across the UK and with the record-breaking numbers here in Wales.

Over its 17 years on our screens, Gavin & Stacey, which is so synonymous with Wales, has become one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time.

It’s a programme that we as a nation feel so strongly connected to, and these figures certainly reflect that.”