How Sir Paul McCartney Made Gavin & Stacey’s Emotional Finale Unforgettable

A memorable scene in the Gavin & Stacey Christmas special was made possible thanks to Sir Paul McCartney. Oscar Hartland, who played Neil the Baby, sang the Beatles song Blackbird during the wedding of his on-screen father, Smithy, played by James Corden. This was a significant moment, but it almost did not happen because using Beatles songs on television is very expensive. The show's budget could not cover the cost, so James Corden decided to reach out directly to Sir Paul McCartney for permission.

Corden explained that the BBC has agreements for music licensing, but the Beatles are not included in those deals, making their songs much more costly to use. He wrote to McCartney, describing how important the scene was and promising that the song would be used respectfully. McCartney responded quickly, saying he was honored and wanted to help. Within 20 hours, the show received permission to use Blackbird, allowing Oscar to perform the song.

Oscar Hartland took the opportunity very seriously, practicing for hours to make sure his performance was emotional and authentic. He described it as his biggest challenge in the episode and wanted the song to be slow and tender. After he sang in front of the cast, many were moved to tears, including Joanna Page, who said she found it easy to cry during his performance. The Christmas special was a huge success, with over 19 million viewers after a week, surpassing the previous special in 2019. The episode resolved a cliffhanger from five years earlier, when Nessa asked Smithy to marry her. Oscar, who was one of the original babies cast as Neil, returned to play the role as a teenager. He is now preparing for his first music tour and is excited to share his new songs with fans. The cast and crew are proud of Oscar and grateful to Sir Paul McCartney for making the scene possible.