Actors James Corden and Ruth Jones have known each other for 25 years and in that time built a friendship as well as a British televisual staple in the form of Gavin and Stacey
Actors Ruth Jones and James Corden, who have been friends for nearly 25 years, first met in 2000 on the set of Fat Friends. Their global fame skyrocketed largely due to their co-creation of the legendary series, Gavin and Stacey.
The beloved show, which ran intermittently from 2007 until 2024, featured Ruth, 59, and James, 47, as Nessa Jenkins and Neil ‘Smithy’ Smith respectively. The finale brought joy to fans when their characters finally became a couple.
Now, 25 years after their initial collaboration, they’ve joined forces again for a book titled ‘When Gavin Met Stacey And Everything In Between’.
Earlier this month, during a Q&A at the London Palladium attended by an audience of 2,286, they discussed their enduring friendship and professional partnership.
During this conversation, they expressed their mutual affection and appreciation for their friendship.
Speaking about their relationship, Ruth said: “James is one of my best friends – it’s a very brother and sister sort of relationship. We do fight – he really gets on my nerves, and I really get on his.
“But there have been times in my life where James is the only person I could turn to and has completely saved me. His friendship is massively valuable to me.”
James had already mentioned how much he values Ruth’s friendship and how proud they both are, not just of Gavin and Stacey, but of their strong bond.
He elaborated: “Ruth and I have both said that however proud we are of Gavin and Stacey, alongside that is just this magical, unique, friendship which has grown, and is definitively deeper now today than it’s probably ever been. That’s a really unique thing in an industry like this, to maintain that love for each other.”
This isn’t the first instance where the duo have shared insights about their bond.
Earlier this year, after her BAFTA triumph for her portrayal of Nessa, Ruth hinted at a potential future collaboration with him, according to the BBC.
She expressed: “I often say he’s like my annoying, younger brother and I’m like your very bossy older sister, but it just seems to work”.
“We have such a good laugh together and we just love being in a room and writing together and I hope that, that’s going to continue because Gavin and Stacey is now finished.
“I can’t really say anything at the moment, but yeah, I’m sure we will come up with something in the future.”