James Corden shares “revelation” about Gavin and Stacey as he reveals writing room secrets

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As a huge Gavin and Stacey fan, I always thought Ruth Jones *was* Nessa – I can’t picture anyone else in the role! But apparently, even when Ruth and James Corden were writing the episodes together, things weren’t always set in stone. They’d sometimes change up who did what, which is pretty interesting to think about, especially knowing the show just finished its last Christmas special.

While promoting their new book, *When Gavin Met Stacey and Everything in Between*, on *The One Show*, James Corden and Ruth Jones explained to host Roman Kemp that they each embody different characters when writing their scripts.

“It sort of falls into a groove,” Ruth said. “[James] is always Pam.”

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I always play Pam because I adore the character,” Corden explained. “I really enjoy performing as her, and I love getting into the role, which means Ruth always plays Mick.

“You’re often Bryn, so I’m often Pam.”

Sporting his best Welsh accent, Corden continued: “You’re always Gavin, so I’m always Stacey I am.”

Ruth then cut in: “Sometimes, weirdly, he is Nessa, which I love.”

I was cracking up when Alex Jones said something that really surprised him – he called it a ‘revelation’! It immediately sparked James Corden to do another impression, and he nailed Nessa’s iconic ‘Oh’ – it was perfect!

James explained the inspiration behind Gavin and Stacey’s characters, revealing that the idea for how they met came from a real-life experience with his friend Gavin, who met his wife while they were talking on the phone at work.

We used to go to West Ham games together with season tickets at Upton Park. I invited him to go next week, but he said he couldn’t make it because he had a date with someone he’d been chatting with on the phone.

She worked in sales, and he was an accountant. They met in Brighton, and soon after, he told me, ‘I think I’m falling in love.’

We were discussing why these two people likely never would have crossed paths, and this was back before things like social media or video calls existed. I mentioned a friend of mine named Gavin, and that’s how he ended up being known as Gavin.

The new edition of Living Legends is here! Buy Gaga in newsagents or online, priced at just £8.99.

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2025-10-07 00:49