Ruth Jones transformed into her beloved Gavin & Stacey character Nessa Jenkins to say her goodbyes to Sister Act The Musical, following her turn as Mother Superior at London’s Dominion Theatre.
The actress, 57, joined the star-studded cast of the hit West End show in March, and went on to extend her run, taking to the stage for the final time last month.
And as she was lauded by her co-stars, Ruth treated the audience of her last show to visit from fan-favourite, Nessa, and teased the highly-anticipated return of Gavin & Stacey.
Shooting for the final episode of the beloved comedy kicked off on Monday, after creators Ruth and James Corden announced the show was returning in May.
Praising her friend and co-star, Lesley Joseph became teary as she voiced her love for Ruth and called her ‘superb’.
Ruth Jones transformed into her beloved Gavin & Stacey character Nessa Jenkins to say her goodbyes to Sister Act The Musical, following her turn as Mother Superior at London’s Dominion Theatre
The actress, 57, joined the star-studded cast of the hit West End show in March, and went on to extend her run, taking to the stage for the final time last month
And as she was lauded by her co-stars, Ruth treated the audience of her last show to visit from fan-favourite, Nessa, and teased the highly-anticipated return of Gavin & Stacey (pictured in show)
She began: ‘The convent says goodbye to the wonder that is Ruth Jones. I cannot tell you what a joy it is to be in this company with Ruth.
‘Ruth has led this company so superbly and it’s a joy to perform with her, not just on stage but offstage – the generosity, the wonderful witness, the fun.’
Causing the audience to erupt into cheers, Lesley then teased: ‘The only positive thing about the fact that Ruth leaves the convent is that we know where she’s going!’
She continued: ‘And I guarantee that all of us on stage and I think all of you out there on Christmas Day will be watching Gavin & Stacey.’
Ruth was handed a bouquet of flowers, and became visibly emotional as she gushed: ‘All I can say is these past few months have been some of the best months of my life.
‘I’ve never done a professional musical before and to work with these exceptional people on this stage and off stage is just a real privilege for me.
‘It’s just been the most wonderful experience I can’t tell you and thank you to the audiences.
‘It’s been fantastic and I got a little message from a friend of mine, Nessa Shanessa Jenkins…’
Shooting for the final episode of the beloved comedy kicked off on Monday, after creators Ruth and James Corden announced the show was returning in May (pictured together on show in 2009)
It comes after James, 46, confirmed shooting was underway for Gavin & Stacey, as he shared a behind-the-scenes snap from the first day of filming
Captioning the teasing shot, James wrote: ‘Day 1. Here we go x’ as his followers went wild in the comments, declaring: ‘This is history’
As the crowd yelled with excitement, Ruth slipped seamlessly in Nessa’s strong Welsh accent: ‘She said: “Oh. I’m not being funny but this convent and this habit is getting on my wick, so I’m heading off back down Barry.
“I’m gonna do a few shifts on the slots. In the meantime I’ll say goodbye to this bunch of reprobates. God knows when I’ll see them again, but it’s been absolutely fantastic. You’ve been a blast sugart**s!”‘
It comes after James, 46, confirmed shooting was underway for Gavin & Stacey, as he shared a behind-the-scenes snap from the first day of filming.
The actor took to his Instagram on Monday to post a photo showing the side of his character Neil ‘Smithy’ Smith’s iconic blue Volvo, which he uses to advertise his builder and decorator services.
Writing on the window reads: ‘Smithy’s: If your husband won’t do it – I will… Tilin, Roofin, Plasterin, & Feng Shui. Call me on 07700978978’.
Captioning the teasing shot, James wrote: ‘Day 1. Here we go x’ as his followers went wild in the comments, declaring: ‘This is history’ and ‘more excited for this than Christmas itself’.
It comes after fellow star Rob Brydon hinted shooting was underway for the show, as he shared a selfie with Ruth on Saturday.
The actor, 59, who plays fan-favourite Uncle Bryn beamed next to his co-star and teased: ‘Something’s occurring… #gavinandstacey’.
It comes after fellow star Rob Brydon hinted shooting was underway for the show, as he shared a selfie with Ruth on Saturday
The actor, 59, who plays fan-favourite Uncle Bryn beamed next to his co-star and teased: ‘Something’s occurring… #gavinandstacey’
Fans will get to return to Barry Island, after the sitcom last aired on Christmas Day in 2019 and became the most-viewed non-sporting event in a decade.
At the climax of the episode, Nessa got down on one knee to propose to Smithy, but viewers never got to hear his response.
Rob previously revealed he was ‘moved to tears’ when he saw the script and said the episode was going to be very ’emotional’.
Speaking to Chris Evans live from Laverstoke Park Farm, Rob said of the final episode: ‘First of all, we knew it was going to happen, but we were told we had to keep it a secret.
‘So you have to lie to people! It’s a horrible feeling, because you don’t want to lie to somebody right in the face.’
He continued: ‘It was a couple of months before the cast saw the script. I only saw it, we were on holiday, we were away, about a month ago. I read it. Oh, it’s so good.’
When Chris asked Rob if he was saying that because he had to, Rob replied: ‘No, I kind of wouldn’t, actually. I don’t want to tempt fate, but I think it’s fantastic.’
He revealed: ‘Do you know what? I was moved to tears, because it’s emotional.’
Fans will get to return to Barry Island, after the sitcom last aired on Christmas Day in 2019 and became the most-viewed non-sporting event in a decade (James, Joanna Page, Mathew Horne and Ruth pictured in 2019)
At the climax of the episode, Nessa got down on one knee to propose to Smithy, but viewers never got to hear his response
In July, James gave a major Gavin & Stacey update as he appeared on Capital Breakfast radio, revealing that the final script was almost ready to go.
Host Jordan North asked him: ‘Is it all written, is it all locked in? Is there still stuff to write?’
James replied: ‘It’s written right but now we’re doing rewrites. So we have to, we have to remove some time, we have to change some bits around.
‘So, we’ve been doing that, it’s quite tough because Ruth Jones’s (Nessa) in Sister Act over in the West End at the minute, and I’m doing The Constituent at the Old Vic.
‘So, we’ve been doing quite a bit of writing in dressing rooms and things like that. And then both looking at each other being quite tired from the plays but we’ll be back at it tomorrow.
‘Back at it Friday. I hope by Friday… it will be done and finished this Friday!’
Jordan then said: ‘This Friday? Is that the deadline?’
James then quipped: ‘Well it’s the deadline we’ve set ourselves, because we start shooting pretty soon now. It’s not far away now.’