Hit sitcom Gavin & Stacey, which is returning for one last Christmas hurrah, remains one of the most beloved shows of recent times - and it sparked the meteoric rise of James Corden. The 46-year-old, who plays Gavin's best pal Smithy, has carved out a name for himself in Hollywood in the years since the original run, enjoying particular success as the host of The Late Late Show with James Corden. London-born James, who recently returned to the UK from LA, lives a glittering life of awards shows and Hollywood hobnobbing and now counts the likes of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Beckhams within his social circle.
As for Ruth Jones, James' Gavin & Stacey co-creator and onscreen on-off love interest Nessa, her life has taken her on a slightly different track. James and Ruth became pals while filming Kay Mellor's iconic TV series Fat Friends, when James shared an idea he'd had for "a wedding that takes place between a guy from Essex and a girl from Barry Island.".
Glamorgan-born Ruth, 58, recalled: "I thought it sounded brilliant, and we'd sit in the hotel bar where we were staying and look around because there was always a function going on, and we'd pick out characters that might be at this wedding and improvise what they might say.".
The rest, of course, is television history. The first episode of Gavin & Stacey aired on BBC Three in 2007, bringing viewers some of the most memorable sitcom characters of all time. Frequently hilarious and occasionally extraordinarily emotional, the BAFTA award-winning comedy was named the 17th-greatest British sitcom in a 2019 Radio Times poll, ranking ahead of the likes of The Good Life and Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?.
