Gavin & Stacey star Joanna Page 'lied' to co-host about BBC series

EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy has revealed that her podcast co-host Joanna Page, whom she hosts Off the Telly with, 'lied' to her about the return of hit BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey. Last week show creators Ruth Jones and James Corden confirmed that the show would return for one final episode this Christmas.

Speaking to Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley on ITV’s This Morning, Natalie, who plays Sonia Fowler on EastEnders, was asked about her thoughts on the return of Gavin & Stacey, specifically whether she’d been getting “details” from Joanna about the new episode. “I've not seen her since that release,” she admitted.

Natalie added: “She's been lying to me for all this time since January. I can't believe it. I'm hoping to get a bit of dirt next Friday when I see her next.”

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Ben then explained that Larry Lamb, who plays Michael ‘Mick’ Shipman in the comedy series, was equally stunned by the announcement. Ben said: “I saw Larry Lamb the other day, and he was saying it all just came out of the blue. It's just been fantastic. They're all so excited.” Natalie replied: “It's going to be amazing, isn't it? Christmas Day.”

Natalie and Joanna’s podcast found itself at the centre of a controversy earlier this year when the latter commented on Lucia Keskin’s comedy series Things You Should Have Done. At the time Joanna commented: “Things You Should Have Done? You know what things I should have done – not bothered to f*****g watch it." Taking it further she called the show "unbearable" and "sh**" before exclaiming several times she was "bored".

She continued: “I thought the show was s**t. I don’t often think that, right? I want to say ‘Well done on you right because you got your own show.’ I haven’t got my own show. I’ve not written anything so you know, flipping heck, that’s amazing.

“I thought it was unbearable. It’s not often I can’t watch something. I was so bored. I was so bored. My mother could have written it. My mother could have done it. I just thought: ‘My God, this is just unbearable. I’m so bored. I just genuinely am bored. I’m bored’.

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