Ruth Jones responds to rumour she wrote more 'Gavin & Stacey' in lockdown
Gavin and Stacey star Ruth Jones has denied claims she and James Corden have written new episodes of the sitcom during the coronavirus lockdown.
The Welsh actress – who plays Nessa Jenkins in the hit BBC comedy – responded to the rumours during an appearance on The One Show, and after teasing there might be something to the claims, admitted they were not true.
Jones, 53, said: “Do you know what? I could comment on that, and it’ll be in the press tomorrow. I’m not gonna say anything. I’m gonna let people just speculate...”
'Let people speculate...'@MissAlexjones has a theory that Ruth Jones wrote a new series of Gavin & Stacey in lockdown, but there's one snag...#TheOneShow pic.twitter.com/tRzmHLlTla
— BBC The One Show (@BBCTheOneShow) September 7, 2020
She then added quietly: “But we didn’t.”
And the actress and writer admitted to ITV’s Lorraine that she and Corden – who stars as Nessa’s love interest Smithy in the sitcom – were not able to write together while he is currently living in America where he hosts The Late, Late Show.
She told Lorraine Kelly: “It's lovely that people ask me.
Read more: Ruth Jones and James Corden will work together again
"I wish I could say yes but James and I love to write together in the same room. It is not possible at the moment with him in America, and there are not any plans but who knows?"
Jones previously told the Sunday Telegraph she and Corden have spoken via Zoom during lockdown but that they “didn’t do any writing”, saying they are both struggling to feel creative.
Video: Ruth Jones threatens to leave Gavin and Stacey on the Christmas cliffhanger
She said: “Since then we’ve not even mentioned work, just talked about the family and how we’re feeling. It does seem like a waste doesn’t it, not to have spent all those lockdown hours writing? But I just couldn’t get into the groove.”
The show originally ran for three series between 2007 and 2010 before its long-awaited return for a one-off Christmas special last year.
Read more: Mathew Horne says rumours of 2020 Gavin and Stacey Christmas special are 'ridiculous'
Aired on Christmas Day, it became the most watched TV episode in a decade, with 11.6 million viewers.
Asked how she watched the episode, Jones said: “We all watched it round at James’s house, and when it ended James’s younger sister Ruth just screamed: ‘No! You can’t end it there!'”
Though Jones remains coy about a return, Larry Lamb, who plays Mick Shipman, suggests the response the Christmas special received it is “more or less certain” fans can expect more.