Written and created by Ruth Jones and James Corden, who also star in the series, the hit sitcom will be produced by Fulwell 73, Tidy Productions and Baby Cow Productions.

Gavin & Stacey originally aired on the BBC from 2007 to 2010 for three series, plus a Christmas special in 2008.

The show followed Gavin (Matthew Horne), an ordinary boy from Essex, and Stacey (Joanna Page), an ordinary girl from Barry, who spoke to each other every day on the phone at work.

Feeling a connection, the pair finally met in person, fell in love and got married, but not without plenty of complications, and ridiculous laugh out loud moments.

Speaking about the new episode, Ruth Jones and James Corden said: “Over the last ten years we’ve talked a lot about Gavin and Stacey - where they might be today and what their lives might look like. And so in secret we took the plunge and wrote this one hour special. We’ve loved revisiting Barry and Essex again and bringing the characters back together has been a joy. We’re so excited to get the chance to work with our fabulous cast and crew once more and to give fans of the show a festive treat this Christmas.”

James Corden shared the good news on his Twitter, with many fans sharing in his excitement.

The original series featured a supporting cast of Rob Brydon, Larry Lamb, Melanie Walters and Alison Steadman.

No details of the special have been released yet, but it is hoped the whole cast will be back together to celebrate the festive period.

Larry Lamb, who plays Gavin's dad Mick in the show, tweeted that he was "Absolutely delighted to be able to share this little secret at last."

The sitcom was a breakthrough hit for the BBC and the 2010 New Year’s Day finale had record ratings for the series with 10.25m viewers.

Charlotte Moore, director of BBC Content said: “We can’t wait to see what’s happened to everyone over the last nine years, and what’s next for one of the nation’s favourite comedy families.”