Rakie Ayola on her 'wow moment' in Gavin & Stacey finale

Welsh actress Rakie Ayola referred to her brief appearance in the series finale of BBC's Gavin & Stacey as a significant milestone in her career. She portrayed the registrar who officiated the marriage between characters Nessa and Smithy, played by the show's creators, Ruth Jones and James Corden. Ayola described it as "the most important and influential minute of my career." The award-winning actress from Cardiff landed the part after encountering Jones at a theater, leading to an offer for a single scene in the final episode. The finale attracted 59% of the audience in Wales and 39% across the UK. In 2023, Ayola was honored with Bafta Cymru's Siân Phillips award and is currently filming The Party in Wales alongside Luke Evans and Tom Cullen, based on a novel by Elizabeth Day, with support from Creative Wales, set for release this autumn.