Gavin and Stacey comeback could be on cards as James Corden set to return from US

James Corden's move away from the US is giving Gavin and Stacey fans major hope for a return of the iconic BBC show.

The presenter has turned down the offer of a new multimillion pound contract to host The Late Late Show.

Instead, it is believed he will return to the UK to be with his family.

That has fuelled speculation that he will once again team up with Ruth Jones to bring back Gavin and Stacey, which ended in 2010.

A record-breaking Christmas special in 2019 had people hoping for a new series, especially given what happened at the end.

EMBARGOED TO 0001 MONDAY DECEMBER 02 The show won many awards during the original run (PA)

And now fans are praying that James moving home will lead to some fresh episodes.

One person took to social media to write: "James is quitting his American TV show. is that a sign that there will be some new Gavin and Stacey coming?"

A second added: "James leaving the USA does that mean….. Gavin and Stacey will be back soon????"

While another wrote: "This hums like a fourth series of Gavin and Stacey" and a fourth said "I see this news and I’m definitely overthinking and reading between lines that are not there but I’m calling it now. He’s leaving to come home and make more Gavin and Stacey"

The show was a massive success when it first aired in the 00s, with Corden starring as Smithy, the best pal of Gavin (played by Matthew Horne) (BABY COW)

James announced the news in a statement during a taping of the show on Thursday.

Speaking on the show he said while tearing up: "When I started this journey it was always going to be just that, it was going to be a journey, an adventure.

"I never saw it as my final destination, and I never want this show to overstay it’s welcome. I always want to love making it. I really think in a year from now that will be a good time to move on to see what else is out there.

James Corden (Smithy), Joanna Page (Stacey), Matthew Horne (Gavin) and Ruth Jones (Nessa) (BBC)

James is leaving The Late Late Show in 2023 (Getty Images for Jaguar Land Rover)

"We are all determined to make this the best year we have ever had. We are going to go out with a bang."

Viewers last got to see what the Shipman family and their Welsh in-laws were getting up to in a 2019 Christmas special.

It showed Nessa - played by 55-year-old Ruth - and Smithy - played by James, 43 - finally revealing their true feelings for one another after 12 years of co-parenting their son Neil Noel Edmunds Smith, who was conceived in a drunken fumble a previous Christmas.