Ruth Jones and James Corden are giddy with excitement when they arrive to talk with Big Issue. We are in St Katharine Docks, London, where they’re midway through the edit for the 90-minute Gavin & Stacey finale – the centrepiece of BBC One’s Christmas Day schedule and the culmination of a 20-year collaboration.
The first episode of Gavin & Stacey since the 2019 festive special ended a 10-year hiatus will also be its final farewell. It’s a massive cultural moment. In 2019, 18.5 million of us tuned in (more than 10 times the number of tickets sold for another comeback – the Oasis reunion tour), only to be left on a massive cliffhanger as Nessa (Jones) got down on one knee to propose to Smithy (Corden). Not bad for a show conceived in a hotel bar in Leeds by two actors from ITV’s Fat Friends.
At a time when other TV comedies were hellbent on being cool and cynical, Gavin & Stacey was always warm and open-hearted. Since Gavin & Stacey made it big, Jones, 58, has created hit Sky series Stella and written three bestselling novels, while Corden, 46, found global fame hosting The Late Late Show in the US – where his Carpool Karaoke with Harry Styles, Elton John, Mariah Carey and a special with Paul McCartney became huge hits. We asked them about their journey – and how they’ve changed along the way.
What else is in this week’s Big Issue?
Schools are working overtime to bring joy to children living in poverty this Christmas
Newly published data shows that 5.2 million children in the UK – 36% of the children in the country – are living in poverty. The government has announced a child poverty taskforce to evaluate the scale of the problem, but no extra help is expected during December, leaving parents at a loss for how they will make Christmas holidays magical. Schools are at the forefront of the cost of living crisis, witnessing firsthand the impact of poverty on families. They might not be able to directly influence national policy, but they can alleviate hardship and give support to children and carers.
‘Where would we put a Christmas tree?’
For thousands of families living in temporary accommodation this Christmas, there is only room at the inn. Big Issue met a family in Oldham to hear about life at the sharp end of one of 2024’s most overlooked crises.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Letter to My Younger Self
She won the heart of the nation for getting us through lockdown with her Kitchen Disco. Next, Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s seeing us into the New Year.
