It's hard to imagine anyone but Ruth Jones playing the role of Nessa in Gavin and Stacey, but it seems things get shaken up in the writing room sometimes. When Ruth and James Corden team up to write the episodes of the much loved sitcom, which aired its finale last Christmas, roles can change.
Appearing on The One Show to promote their new book When Gavin Met Stacey and Everything in Between, the pair shared with host Roman Kemp that, when writing scripts, they take on different characters.
"It sort of falls into a groove," Ruth said. "[James] is always Pam."
"I'm always Pam, because I just love her darling," Corden added. "I love doing her, I love being Pam, which means Ruth is always Mick.
"You're often Bryn, so I'm often Pam."
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Sporting his best Welsh accent, Corden continued: "You're always Gavin, so I'm always Stacey I am."
Ruth then cut in: "Sometimes, weirdly, he is Nessa, which I love."
Host Alex Jones said, "Now that is a revelation", causing Corden to go into another impression, pulling out Nessa's catchphrase: "Oh."
James also shared the story of where he got his inspiration for the show's titular characters, saying: "The idea of how Gavin and Stacey met came from one of my best and dearest friends, Gavin. He met his wife because they used to speak at work on the phone.
Related: Gavin & Stacey’s James Corden and Ruth Jones reunite for new British comedy drama
"We both used to have season tickets at Upton Park, I asked him if he was on for next week and he said he couldn't because he was going to meet this girl he'd been talking to on the phone.
"She worked in sales and he was in accounts. They met up in Brighton and the next thing I heard from him was, 'I think I'm in love'.
"We were talking about why they wouldn't have met and this was before social media and video phones, and I said about my mate Gavin, and that's how he became Gavin."
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Catherine is an Evening News Editor at Digital Spy, and was the site's News Editor between 2018 and 2024. Prior to that, she worked at OK! Online, and has interviewed a slew of celebrities across her career in entertainment news, including Tom Hanks, Cheryl and Noel Fielding. Catherine also has specialist knowledge in all things drag, interviewing a huge portion of RuPaul’s Drag Race stars, and getting her own drag makeover for Channel 4's show Drag SOS. LinkedIn
