Rakie Ayola Calls Gavin & Stacey Finale Role a 'Wow
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- Rakie Ayola played the registrar who married Nessa and Smithy in the Gavin & Stacey Christmas Day finale, calling the moment the "most important and influential minute" of her career
- Ayola landed the one-scene role after bumping into co-writer Ruth Jones at a theatre; Jones contacted her days later with the part
- The Gavin & Stacey finale drew 59% of Wales' population and 39% of the UK on Christmas Day, according to the BBC
- Ayola won Bafta Cymru's Siân Phillips award in 2023, given to a Welsh person for significant contribution to a major film or TV programme
- Ayola's recent credits include Channel 4's The Falling opposite Keeley Hawes and Paapa Essiedu, plus upcoming five-part drama The Party with Luke Evans and Tom Cullen, due this autumn
Why it matters: Ayola's scene — the wedding fans had waited years for — played out in front of nearly 6 in 10 Welsh viewers and almost 4 in 10 UK viewers, making it one of the most-watched single moments in the BBC comedy's history and a career capstone for a Bafta Cymru-winning actor.
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