The stars of the BBC show met up last week to begin rehearsals for a new Christmas special.
Joanna Page, who plays Stacey, said: “When we had the read-through, I walked in and it was so emotional.
“I hadn’t seen so many of the cast for so many years.
“I kept touching everybody’s face and saying, ‘Oh my goodness, it’s you – I’ve missed you so much’.
“Then we sat down to read the script and it was like we’d never been away. We all came together like a big family. It was really lovely. We had a right laugh.”
The new hour-long episode will air on Christmas Day and Joanna, 42, right, reckons fans will love it.
She said: “The script is brilliant. It’s really good. It made me cry, it made me laugh and it made me think, ‘I just want to spend Christmas with this family’.
“I think fans will love it. It’s quite nostalgic, but it also feels quite modern and funny.”
Joanna, who with Mathew Horne, 40, stars in the title roles (top left), added: “We start filming it in a couple of weeks and I can’t wait to get started.
“Fingers crossed when everybody has eaten their Christmas dinner, and they’re so stuffed that they can’t move, they’ll tune in.”
Stars reprising their roles for the episode include James Corden, 40, Rob Brydon, 54, Alison Steadman, 72, and Larry Lamb, 71.
