While Smithy and Nessa’s story might have ended with the 2024 Gavin and Stacey Christmas special, James Corden and Ruth Jones’ creative partnership shows no sign of slowing down.
Last week, it was reported that the pair had signed a deal with Apple TV Plus to write a brand new show for the streaming service.
Supposedly, the pair had multiple offers from different studios following the enormous success of the Gavin and Stacey Christmas special.
However, despite alleged competition from other studios, it’s Apple who’ve secured the pair’s services.
Now the first details about that new sitcom have been revealed, including the title and plot.
According to Deadline, the new series is called The Choir, and it will follow siblings Ben (Corden) and Lisa (Jones), who have been estranged for several years.
When Ben is forced to return to the small English town where Lisa lives, however, he’s forced to ‘return to a life he never wanted’ and a family he doesn’t understand.
Along with writing and starring in the eight-part series, James and Ruth are expected to serve as executive producers.
It was originally reported that the deal had been valued at £8M ($10.8M), but Deadline’s sources have shot down that figure.
‘Apple is not commenting on the figure and insiders steered away from it being a “multi-million pound deal,”‘ they wrote.
The news that the beloved comedy duo are working together again will be bittersweet for Gavin and Stacey fans.
There had been hopes online that the pair were working on a spin-off of some kind focused on either a younger Nessa or Dawn and Pete.
However, the writing team were clear in 2024 that they were done with the world of Gavin and Stacey after their big finale.
In a documentary about the Christmas special, Gavin & Stacey: A Fond Farewell, the pair were emphatic that we’d never see Smithy and Nessa’s married life.
Ruth explained: ‘Once Smithy and Nessa got together, that really is the end. Because we can never see them actually living together.’
Gavin and Stacey spin-offs we’d love to see
Our Deputy TV editor, Tom Percival, imagines five Gavin and Stacey spin-offs the world would love to see…
- Brynn’s Beautiful Bryns: A travel show where Uncle Brynn takes us round the most beautiful bryns in Wales. Bryn, of course, being Welsh for hill…
- Badger Rescue with Pam: Pam travels the streets of Billericay to rescue badger cubs from danger to stop badger mums from crying.
- The last thing you expect to find when you come into work in the morning: A true crime podcast presented by Michael Shipman.
- Smithy’s Big Drunk Quiz: A quiz show presented by Smithy, where Gary Lineker comes up a surprising amount.
- The Great Welsh Omlette Off: A cooking show presented by Gwen, where she looks for the best omlette chef in Wales.
‘Oh no, it would be awful,’ James added. ‘No, it just won’t work.’
That said, Ruth would later say that she enjoys working with James and was keen to work with him again.
‘We have such a good laugh together and we just love being in a room and writing together,’ she told BBC News. ‘I hope that that’s going to continue because Gavin & Stacey is now finished.’
‘I can’t really say anything at the moment, but yeah, I’m sure we will come up with something in the future.’
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
