WHAT’S OCCURRING?
Where the Gavin and Stacey stars are now – as Joanna Page reveals she’s pregnant with baby number 4
LEGENDARY sitcom Gavin and Stacey had the nation in stitches and launched the stellar careers of co-creators Ruth Jones and James Corden.
But what happened to the rest of the cast?
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Yesterday Stacey star Joanna Page revealed she is expecting her fourth baby with Emmerdale actor husband, James Thornton.
Writing on Instagram, she said: “Well, this is a surprise!! Baby number 4 on the way! It’s going to be a busy Christmas!”
The sitcom returned for a Christmas special, in 2019, after being off air for 11 years.
Here, we reveal what Nessa, Gwen and co have been doing since the series ended in 2010.
Joanna Page (Stacey) - supermum
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Former Love Actually star Joanna Page, 44, played chatterbox Stacey. During the series she appeared in Kingsmill bread, Carphone Warehouse and Superdrug ads as well as on the cover of FHM.
But after it ended she has only appeared sporadically on TV – including as Queen Elizabeth 1st in Doctor Who.
In 2013, Joanna and James welcomed their daughter Eva, with son Kit following in 2015 and another son Noah in 2016.
Last year, she told The Sun James had vetoed a fourth baby.
“If it was up to me we’d have a fourth, but after the third James said he was done,” she said. “He thought a fourth might break him.”
But the 44-year-old unveiled her happy “surprise” this week.
After returning to Gavin and Stacey for the 2019 Christmas special, Joanna starred in the 2020 film Dream Horse, with Damian Lewis.
Mathew Horne (Gavin) – hit by a train
The Catherine Tate Show actor, 43, became a national treasure playing kind-hearted Gavin, and went on to star in BBC’s Bad Education.
In 2018, he appeared on stage in Rain Man, and it was announced he would be in the new Dad’s Army remake.
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But in December the same year, Mathew was struck by a train after a boozy night out walking back to his parents’ house in Nottingham.
While he was hurled backwards after it clipped him at a pedestrian crossing, he apparently didn’t require hospital treatment.
Mathew, 42, is still acting and stars in the long-running series Agatha Raisin, with Ashley Jensen.
Melanie Walters (Gwen) - rents holiday homes and teaches Pilates
After the main show ended, Melanie Walters, 56, who played Gwen, decided to branch out from acting.
She set up Practical Pilates in Swansea, Wales, to help locals improve their posture.
The actress also lets self-catering holiday rentals on beauty-spot the Gower Peninsula.
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However, her Gavin & Stacey co-star Larry Lamb recently tempted her back in front of the camera.
The pair appeared in Pitching In, a four-part BBC drama set around a caravan park in Angelsey, on the north Wales coast.
Oscar Hartland (baby Neil) – 13 years old
Nessa and Smithy’s baby Neil is now all grown up.
The youngster was played three babies, Ewan Kennedy, Oscar Hartland and Lewis Marchant.
But Oscar, now 13, was thrilled to return for the highly-anticipated Christmas special in 2019, after auditioning for the role.
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“I thought I was getting a different part but I actually got Neil,” he told GMB. “I was really excited about filming.”
And star Rob Brydon joked that Oscar perfectly resembles the characters’ would-be child, saying:
“When you see him you’ll totally accept he’s the child of Ruth and James.” He added: “How they have found a boy that looks… I mean I don’t know what you were doing 12 years ago. Yeah that’s their child.”
Lewis Merchant, now 12, also played the newborn when the twins couldn’t manage.
His mum Emily revealed in a tweet in April 2018 that he had just turned ten, sharing an adorable old snap of her son with on-screen father James Corden
Larry Lamb (Mick) - reality TV favourite
Already a regular on the telly, Larry Lamb, 73, has seen his star status rise even further since playing Gavin's down-to-earth dad Mick.
At the same time as the sitcom aired, he played villain Archie Mitchell in EastEnders alongside on-screen niece Danniella Westbrook.
He also starred in the 2016 series of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here.
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A year later, he consolidated his newfound public popularity with an appearance on Channel 5's Britain by Bike with Larry and George Lamb, and film The Hatton Garden Job.
Sheridan Smith (Ruth) - West End icon
Playing Smithy's younger sister Ruth in seasons two and three gave 40-year-old star Sheridan Smith her first big breakthrough.
At the same time as she was playing the gobby tracksuit-wearing sis, she took on the role of Elle Woods in the 2008 musical version of Legally Blonde and nabbed both rave reviews and a Laurence Olivier Award.
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After the sitcom wrapped in 2010, Sheridan continued to wow on both stage and screen.
Her role alongside Sienna Miller in 2011's Flare Path won her a second Laurence Olivier Award, and she took the lead in 2016's Funny Girl - which she continued to perform even after her dad Colin's terminal cancer diagnosis.
On the telly, she was given a BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for 2013's Mrs Biggs, and she was nominated for big awards for her parts in 2015's Cilla, 2016's The C Word, 2016's Black Work and 2018's The Moorside.
Sheridan released her debut album A Northern Soul, in 2019. The actress revealed she’d had a mental breakdown that had seen her battle anxiety and depression following her dad’s death, in 2017.
But happier news came in May 2020, when she gave birth to her son, Billy, with then partner Jamie Horn.
Alison Steadman (Pam) - Beeb legend
Alison Steadman, 74, played Mick's wife Pam Shipman.
She was a successful film and TV actress by the time she appeared in the sitcom, and had already won two Laurence Olivier Awards, two BAFTAs and been made an OBE.
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Since the series ended, the mum-of-two has starred in 2015 film Burn Burn Burn, as well as BBC series Boomers, Hold The Sunset and the hit series Life, in 2020
She also presented a three-part Channel 4 series Little British Islands.
Ruth Jones (Nessa) - novelist
Her straight-talking character Nessa was a fan favourite - but Ruth Jones, 54, also rose to prominence thanks to the hilarious script she co-wrote with James Corden.
After securing two BAFTAs and four British Comedy Awards, the former Fat Friends and Little Britain star went on to appear in two BBC period costume dramas, Tess of the d'Urbervilles and Little Dorrit.
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In 2014, she was appointed an MBE for services to entertainment.
She has also set up her own production company with her husband David Peet, and in 2018 she released her first novel, Never Greener.
Steffan Rhodri (Dave) - TV actor
The Welsh actor, 52, won over Gavin & Stacey fans with his serious Dave Coaches.
But since the series ended he has added Potterheads to that too, after he starred as Magical Maintenance Department worker Reg Cattermole in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One.
He also played DC Neil Jones in ITV drama Manhunt.
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James Corden (Smithy) - Hollywood star
Arguably the most famous Gavin & Stacey export is James Corden who has gone on to become a fully-fledged A-lister on the other side of the pond.
After the sitcom ended in 2010, he starred in three Hollywood movies - including 2014 comedy Into The Woods with Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick and Jonny Depp, as well as 2016 animation Trolls.
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But, in 2015, the father-of-three moved with his family to Los Angeles to host The Late Late Show with James Cordon, which spawned the hugely successful Carpool Karaoke - with the likes of Michelle Obama and Ed Sheeran.
His success has seen him become an Oscars and Met Gala regular.
Rob Brydon (Bryn) - TV host
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By the time he was making viewers cry with laughter on Gavin & Stacey, Glamorgan-born Rob Brydon, 56, was already a familiar face, having worked as a radio presenter for a variety of BBC programmes and starred in Supernova.
When the sitcom ended, he appeared in Hollywood movie The Huntsmen: Winter's War, the BBC comedy series Marion and Geoff and its spin-off The Keith Barret Show, and appeared alongside Steve Coogan in The Trip, The Trip To Italy and The Trip To Spain.
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The father-of-four has also presented BBC's Would I Lie To You?, The Rob Brydon show and The Guess List.
In 2013, he was awarded an MBE for services to comedy and broadcasting.
Tragically, in 2011, actress Margaret John - who played Doris - died aged 84. Co-star James paid tribute to her on Twitter, writing: "A great actress and an incredible lady. She will be missed."
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The making of Gavin and Stacey
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