Gavin And Stacey star Laura Aikman has previously starred in a hit CBBC show, with ’90s kids only just clocking her previous role.
The finale of Gavin And Stacey, which aired on Christmas Day, saw Smithy’s (James Corden) jilted lover Sonia make a bombshell return as his fiancée.
Sonia’s return came as a shock to the nation, and actress Laura had been ‘hidden away’ in a separate hotel during filming after sigining an NDA to protect the major plot twist.
And as Laura returned to TV screens as Sonia, those who grew up in the 90s have started to realise the actress’ other iconic role – Mysti from The Mysti Show.
Making the connection on social media, one used penned: ‘The only thing about #GavinAndStacey is that I grew up watching the Mysti show so will always love Laura Aikman.’
Meanwhile another posted to Tiktok: ‘Sonia may be the iconic role that everyone will forever remember Laura Aikman for but…’ alongside her at the altar.
Gavin And Stacey star Laura Aikman has previously starred in a hit CBBC show, with ’90s kids only just clocking her previous role
nd as Laura returned to TV screens as Sonia, those who grew up in the 90s have started to realise the actress’ other iconic role – Mysti from The Mysti Show
Then added: ‘For us 90s/early 00s kids, Mysti was an icon first’, over a throwback picture of the show.
The Mysti Show aired from April 2004 to December 2005.
The show saw Laura take on the role of a half-human half-fairy being called Mysti.
Each 20 minute episode saw Mysti ‘magic her own unique blend of entertainment and comedy drama with celebrity guests.’
In 2000, Laura featured in an episode of long-running hospital drama Casualty – the catalyst for a series of guest roles that would include appearances in The Bill, Doctors and That Mitchell And Webb Look.
But in 2009 she secured the first of two recurring roles, as Lucy in hit BBC Three series Personal Affairs and – more significantly – in a return to Casualty, this time as Nurse May Phelps.
A third major TV role came in 2016, when Aikman was cast as Lorna Hutchinson for the tenth series of BBC drama Waterloo Road.
Other TV roles include guest appearances in Death In Paradise, Pramface, Citizen Khan and Bluestone 42 – where she met her husband Matt Kennard in 2015.
The show saw Laura take on the role of a half-human half-fairy being called Mysti. Each 20 minute episode saw Mysti ‘magic her own unique blend of entertainment and comedy drama with celebrity guests’
Making the connection on social media, one used penned: ‘The only thing about #GavinAndStacey is that I grew up watching the Mysti show so will always love Laura Aikman’
Meanwhile another posted to Tiktok: ‘Sonia may be the iconic role that everyone will forever remember Laura Aikman for but…’ alongside her at the altar. Then added: ‘For us 90s/early 00s kids, Mysti was an icon first’, over a throwback picture of the show
But Laura’s return as Sonia was one that shocked nation as even her own parents did not know until they watched it on Christmas day.
Taking to Instagram on Boxing Day, the actress shared a clip of the moment the huge surprise was unveiled to her unsuspecting parents.
She wrote: ‘The moment my family realise Sonia is ruining Christmas again…’ alongside the hilarious video.
Her mother’s mouth flew open as she sat up and pointed at the screen, before she screamed: ‘Oh my God! What?! You never told us!’
Unable to contain her laughter, Laura responded: ‘We never told anyone!’ while the rest of her family continued to scream with surprise in the background.
Laura added in the caption: ‘I take an NDA very seriously #gavinandstaceythefinale #gavinandstacey.’
Gavin And Stacey director Christine Gernon also took to Instagram after the finale aired to reveal the extent of the extreme measures taken to her comeback secret under wraps.
Sharing a snap of Laura alongside Alison Steadman, who portrays Pam in the BBC show, the director quipped: ‘@lauraikman spent the whole g&s shoot being hidden away.
‘Staying in a different hotel, not allowed to come to wrap or screening parties so no one knew Sonia was back. Such a great reveal. And she’s amazing as both actor and person.’
Laura’s return as Sonia shocked the nation as even her own parents did not know about her casting until they watched it on Christmas day
Taking to Instagram on Boxing Day, the actress shared a clip of the moment the huge surprise was unveiled to her unsuspecting parents
Her mother’s mouth flew open as she sat up and pointed at the screen, before she screamed: ‘Oh my God! What?! You never told us!’
Laura added in the caption: ‘I take an NDA very seriously #gavinandstaceythefinale #gavinandstacey’
Sonia’s bridesmaid Anna, played by Lauren Cornelius, has also detailed how the plot was kept underwraps, with nothing was given away until the first read through.
Speaking in an interview with The Mirror, she explained: ‘We never met Laura until filming, she was secret, she was in different hotels and not allowed to be part of anything. She didn’t exist, her name wasn’t on anything.
‘Hearing the story for the first time because none of us were sent the script, we didn’t know anything, everything was revealed at the first read through.’
James Corden also issued Laura with multiple names throughout the process to keep everyone off track.
‘It was Katie first, then it was Leticia, and then it was Anna,’ she said. ‘It was totally wild, it was surreal in itself, it was absolutely incredible.’
The Christmas special and finale came five years after the show’s last Christmas instalment in 2019.
In the previous episode, filmed half a decade ago, fans were left on the edge of their seats waiting to see what Smithy would say to Nessa after she got down on one knee.
The final episode was hailed ‘perfect’ by viewers, who were left in tears as the long-running show finally aired its last episode after 17 years.
Gavin And Stacey director Christine Gernon also took to Instagram after the finale aired to reveal the extent of the extreme measures taken to her comeback secret under wraps
Sonia’s bridesmaid Anna, played by Lauren Cornelius (right), also detailed how the plot was kept underwraps, with nothing being given away until the first read through
With tears in his eyes Smithy got down on one knee to propose, after Nessa told him she would never ask him again following her proposal in 2019
It was a finale that brought a long-awaited end to the story that began back in 2007, and fans rushed to social media to praise the ‘perfect’ ending
While fans tuned into the episode to see whether Smithy had accepted Nessa’s proposal, a five-year time jump revealed that he was indeed set to tie the knot, but all was not as it seemed.
It was revealed that Smithy had instead got engaged to his girlfriend Sonia, who failed to impress the Shipman/West clan when she met them in the last festive episode.
Fans were also treated to the surprise return of Sheridan Smith as Smithy’s sister Rudi, and Pam Ferris as his mum Cath.
Yet when it came to Smithy’s big day he realised that Nessa was his one true love and called off the wedding.
The entire family jumped into Dave’s coach and rushed to Southampton, where Nessa was preparing to set sail, and in a scene 17 years in the making, he declared his love for her, and asked her to reconsider leaving.
While an ever-stoic Nessa insisted she wouldn’t propose to Smithy again, instead he returned her offer from five years earlier, finally getting down on one knee and asking her to marry him.
The episode then cut to Smithy and Nessa exchanging their vows at long last in an intimate ceremony in Barry, with the series ending with an emotional montage of the family marking the occasion at The Dolphin pub, before posing for a family snap together.
