The ‘little show’ that became a cultural phenomenon - Ruth Jones deserves every accolade there is for Gavin & Stacey

An emotional Ruth Jones has won the Bafta for Best Female Performance in a Comedy at the star-studded awards ceremony. This was a much-deserved win for her portrayal of the iconic Vanessa Shanessa 'Nessa' Jenkins in the Gavin & Stacey finale.

Wearing a beautiful sapphire blue gown, Ruth Jones began her speech in character as Nessa, recalling in the true style of the character how, "I've won a BAFTA before, of course I have, in 1976," before stepping out of the role to deliver the rest of her speech.

During her heartfelt speech, Ruth gave particular thanks to her "Dear, talented, lovely, kind, funny friend," James Corden. The pair have been long-time collaborators, and James was clearly touched by Ruth's words as he wiped away tears.

Continuing to demonstrate her clear admiration and respect for James, Ruth thanked, "James Corden, with whom I have shared this astonishing journey for the past 17 years and without whom, Vanessa Shanessa Jenkins would simply not exist."

We spoke exclusively to Ruth Jones for our latest issue of woman&home magazine. During our interview, the actress reveals the heartfelt thinking behind the Gavin & Stacey finale, and how perfect she felt it was.

It had been 17 years since the legendary series arrived on our screens, and four since the 2019 Christmas special aired and left us with the decade's biggest cliff hanger. In that time, what Ruth refers to as something that began as a "little show" grew into a cultural juggernaut.

Ruth Jones with the BAFTA for Female Performance in a Comedy for Gavin & Stacey | BAFTA TV Awards - YouTube

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It was no easy feat to deliver a satisfying ending, yet Ruth and James absolutely delivered. "The final episode of Gavin & Stacey was a beautiful ending to a wonderful journey. It was great that it ended the way it did," Ruth tells us.

The star adds, "I’m delighted with how it went down," she adds, explaining that there was simply no other way Smithy and Nessa's complicated love story could've reached a conclusion.

"We couldn’t have done it any better, in a way, or any differently. People were very satisfied with the end, which was important," she says.

While it's definitely the end for Gavin & Stacey, it's not the end of the road for Ruth Jones and James Corden collaborating.

Following the BAFTA awards ceremony, Ruth spoke about working with James once again. "I love working with James Corden, I really do, and I hope that we will carry on working together," she said.

Ruth added of the potential of them writing another show, "I think we will. We will, because we just both, like, sort of sitting in a room together. We do a lot of napping, but we do write as well when we get going and, yeah, I just love working with him."

The actress also expressed shock at her BAFTA win, explaining that she'd even taken her shoes off and had made herself comfortable for the evening, not expecting to have to get up on the stage.

However, she summed up her win and everything it signifies by concluding, "I think it's just been a really lovely rounding up of this astonishing nearly 20 years and working with James."