The U.K. went wild for Gavin & Stacey's finale

The U.K. has just started to process the fact that a majority of Americans have seemingly never heard of British popstar Robbie Williams, but the two countries may have another pop culture crisis on their hands. Gavin & Stacey, a show that never really found purchase on this side of the pond (despite it being James Corden’s origin story), just smashed U.K. viewership records with its last episode ever.

According to the BBC, “Gavin & Stacey: The Finale,” which aired on Christmas, is the most-watched scripted show across all broadcasters and streamers since the country began keeping records in 2002. 12.3 million people tuned in on the 25th—the biggest Christmas Day total since 2008—and that number has risen to 19.3 million people in the days since. Additionally, 4.2 million of those viewers are in the 16–34 year old demographic, making it the highest young audience for a scripted show since records began. The Christmas special smashed the series’ own record, made when the show—which ended its regular run in 2010—returned for a different Christmas special in 2019. That episode was watched by 18.5 million people in 28 days.

As Emily St. James wrote in 2010, Gavin & Stacey is the type of “enjoyably amiable and low on incident… show American producers just don’t have any idea how to make anymore.” Created by Corden and Ruth Jones, the series follows the titular couple (played by Mathew Horne and Joanna Page) and their respective best friends Smithy and Nessa (played by Corden and Jones) as they build and live out their lives.

“We are completely overwhelmed by the audience response to our show and to these astonishing viewing figures,” Corden and Jones said in a statement. “Gavin & Stacey really does belong to the audience and we are beyond thrilled that so many people enjoyed watching it this Christmas.”