Ruth Jones and James Corden: 'Gavin & Stacey finale might not be what you're expecting...'

Ruth Jones and James Corden have warned viewers that the end of their hit series Gavin & Stacey “might not be what you are expecting” in a huge new Big Issue exclusive.

“I keep telling people this finale might not be what you are expecting,” Ruth Jones tells this week’s Big Issue, which is out today (Monday 9 December). “And I guarantee we will definitely not be coming back.”

Corden adds: “What people are going to see on Christmas Day is the culmination of a 20-year love story, which hopefully shows, if nothing else, that love is complicated and messy and for everyone.”

The writer/actor duo have given the most coveted interview of the season exclusively to the Big Issue to push sales and drum up support for its street vendors during the important Christmas period.

In their conversation, Corden and Jones reveal never-before-told secrets about Gavin & Stacey’s creation – including a twist in the original concept that would’ve seen the bride (played by Jones) sleep with the best man (played by Corden).

“It wasn’t Gavin & Stacey yet,” reflects Corden. “It was a one-off special called It’s My Day. We wrote a backstory, just for us, so we’d know who the people were and how they all met. At that point, [Ruth] was going to be the bride and I was the best man called Kyle! Didn’t they end up sleeping together down an alley?” Jones responds: “Or was it being sick?”

The idea for It’s My Day came to the pair in a Leeds hotel bar during the filming of ITV comedy Fat Friends. “It was also weird because we were in the Crowne Plaza in Leeds and at any point you could go to this mezzanine floor and someone from Fat Friends would be there,” Corden says, “But for some reason it was just us two that night. If another member of the cast had popped out for a club sandwich, we’d never have talked about it.”

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Jones and Corden also reflect on the highs and lows of their 20-year friendship, including the period where Corden lived in the US. “When we got back together around the time of [James’] 40th, we realised our friendship was really strong,” Jones reflects.

“My wife organised a surprise birthday party for me in Mexico,” Corden says. “Lots of my friends walked in with a mariachi band playing. Then my wife said, there’s one more person here. Ruth walked into the room and I just burst into tears. I couldn’t believe she was there. It was so special.

“It’s that strange thing, isn’t it? If you haven’t seen someone for a while and they walk in, you’re suddenly aware of what you mean to each other. I can’t tell you how we’ve changed. But I know we have changed a lot.”

“We are kinder to each other now,” Jones adds. “We’ve grown up a bit.”

Corden agrees. “I can only speak for myself, but I treasure our friendship more today than I ever have. And I value it even more than [Gavin & Stacey].”

Read the full interview with Ruth Jones and James Corden in this week’s Big Issue. Buy from your local vendor, or if you can’t get to their pitch, show your support by purchasing a Vendor Support Kit.

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