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When Gavin Met Stacey and Everything in Between

A Story of Love and Friendship
Brief Description
The story of a remarkable friendship between two people whose creative chemistry ignited the perfect storm of drama, comedy and heart. It explores how the characters and storylines came into being, with anecdotes from the making of all episodes of the show. Gavin & Stacey is... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3300
Elsewhere:
$4000
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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The story of a remarkable friendship between two people whose creative chemistry ignited the perfect storm of drama, comedy and heart. It explores how the characters and storylines came into being, with anecdotes from the making of all episodes of the show.

Gavin & Stacey is a TV series like no other. Now, for the first time, its creators James Corden and Ruth Jones tell the full extraordinary story of how they turned their little show into a full-on cultural phenomenon.

As they recount the rejection, obstacles, and challenges they faced on the way to giving birth to their beloved comedy creation, James and Ruth also explore the flourishing of their own real-life friendship. While their now legendary on-screen characters Nessa and Smithy had a profound awkwardness to negotiate, culminating in that marriage proposal in the 2019 Christmas special, Ruth and James forged a magical relationship of mutual support based also on a deep, shared sense of subversive fun.

Here, from their tentative initial pitch to the emotionally overwhelming final day of filming, the duo detail what's occurred every step of the way, bouncing off each other in inimitable style. Full of revelations and never-before-heard stories, this is a one-of-a-kind book about a show that's already gone down in history.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780857507457

Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 09 October 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Bantam Books (Transworld Publishers a division of the Random House Group)

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 20.0mm

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 350g

Pages: 336

About the Author

Ruth Jones (Author) Ruth Jones MBE is well known for her television work, most notably BBC One's multi-award-winning Gavin and Stacey, co-written with James Corden, in which she played Nessa Jenkins. The 2019 and 2024 Christmas specials of this well-loved show garnered viewing figures of 18 million and 21 million respectively. Ruth also created and co-wrote several series of Stella for Sky TV, for which she was BAFTA nominated. Other TV work includes Hattie, Nighty Night and Saxondale. In 2024 Ruth played Mother Superior in Sister Act the Musical at London's Dominion Theatre. Her latest acting role is Elena Ravenscroft in Harlan Coben's Run Away for Netflix. Ruth's novels have sold over a million copies. Never Greener was a Sunday Times bestseller for fifteen weeks, three weeks at number one, as well as WHSmith Fiction Book of the Year 2018, a nominated Debut of the Year at the British Book Awards, and a Zoe Ball Book Club pick. Her second novel, Us Three, and her third novel, Love Untold, were also instant Sunday Times bestsellers. Love Untold was a Waterstones Paperback of the Year, as well as a Richard & Judy Book Club pick. Ruth's latest novel is By Your Side James Corden (Author) James Corden is an Emmy Award winning host, writer, producer, and actor. Born in Hillingdon in 1978, he grew up in Buckinghamshire where he attended the Jackie Palmer Stage School. Early TV work included Teachers and Fat Friends, where he met Ruth Jones before going on to co-create the BAFTA Award winning Gavin and Stacey together where Corden's breakout role came with his portrayal of 'Smithy'. Other notable TV credits include The Wrong Mans, which he co-wrote and starred in, Doctor Who and Jezz Butterworth's miniseries Mammals. On stage, Corden starred in One Man, Two Guvnors - for which he won the 2012 Tony Award for \"Best Leading Actor in a Play\" -, The History Boys and more recently The Constituent. In 2015, Corden made a monumental leap when he took over as the host of the iconic The Late Late Show in the United States. In his time as host, Corden won multiple Emmy Awards and launched globally loved segments such as Carpool Karaoke. In film, Corden starred in The Prom and received a 2021 Golden Globe nomination for \"Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture\". His other feature credits include- Into The Woods and Oceans 8. Corden also hosts the US interview series, This Life Of Mine With James Corden, on Sirius XM. Corden was awarded with an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for services to drama at Buckingham Palace in 2015

Also by Ruth Jones

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  • Love Untold
    The funny, moving and uplifting new novel from Ruth Jones, co-creator of Gavin & Stacey and author of the Sunday Times bestsellers Never Greener and Us Three. Grace is about to turn ninety. She doesn't want parties or presents or fuss. She just wants to heal the family rift that's been breaking her heart for decades. But to do that...
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    The warm and life-affirming novel from the author of the instant Sunday Times bestsellers, Never Greener, Us Three, and Love Untold. Don't miss the new novel from the BAFTA-winning co-writer of Gavin & Stacey. 'Ruth Jones writes with such warmth you can't help but fall in love with the characters she creates.' - James Corden The joyful and life-affirming new...
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  • By Your Side
    Pre-order
    By Your Side
    The warm and life-affirming novel from the author of the instant Sunday Times bestsellers, Never Greener, Us Three, and Love Untold. Ruth Jones writes with such warmth you can't help but fall in love with the characters she creates. โ€” JAMES CORDEN The joyful and life-affirming new novel from the co-creator of Gavin and Stacey and the Richard and Judy...
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