Ruth Jones was spotted in Manchester filming for her new role in a Harlan Coben Netflix series for the first time on Tuesday.
The Welsh actress, 58, is set to star in the thriller Run Away following the final ever episode of Gavin and Stacey on Christmas Day.
She reprised her role as Nessa Jenkins for the emotional special but has now turned her attention to the upcoming limited series.
Ruth joined James Nesbitt, Minnie Driver, Alfred Enoch and Lucian Msamati as shooting commenced for the drama.
In one scene, the comedian wore a red waistcoat over a blouse covered with colourful mushroom drawings as she got into character for filming.
She kept warm with a yellow waterproof jacket and completed the look with rolled-up wide-legged dark blue jeans, red socks and some bronze shoes.
Ruth Jones was spotted in Manchester filming for her new role in a Harlan Coben Netflix series for the first time on Tuesday
In one scene, the Welsh actress shared a joke with firefighters as they arrived at the site for what was later confirmed to be a false alarm
She is set to star in the thriller Run Away following the final ever episode of Gavin and Stacey on Christmas Day (pictured)
In another, Ruth shared a joke with firefighters as they arrived at the site for what was later confirmed to be a false alarm.
During the commotion, the actress was sporting a green, white and purple jumper in a kaleidoscopic pattern over a yellow shirt and she carried a paper coffee cup.
The eight-episode series, based on the bestselling book, follows Simon (played by James) as he searches for his daughter Paige (Ellie de Lange).
Ruth will star as private investigator Elena Ravenscroft who is looking for a missing young man.
Harlan told Netflix’s Tudum: ‘Run Away is about family – about what we will do to keep our family intact, what secrets we keep within our family, and what secrets we keep as a family.’
He added: ‘Every time you walk past the house, there’s a whole universe that goes on behind that door and none of us have a clue what it is.’
Run Away comes following the success of Harlan’s thriller Fool Me Once in 2024, starring Michelle Keegan in a lead role.
The show became the most-watched series for the first half of the year, racking up an impressive 108 million views.
Ruth joined James Nesbitt (pictured), Minnie Driver, Alfred Enoch and Lucian Msamati as shooting commenced for the drama
Run Away comes following the success of Harlan’s thriller series Fool Me Once in 2024, starring Michelle Keegan in a lead role
The show became the most-watched series for the first half of the year, racking up an impressive 108 million views
It saw the British actress, 37, spot her presumed dead husband on a baby camera as her niece and nephew struggled to get to the bottom of the murder of their mother.
The drama, which aired in January 2024 to positive reviews, also starred Joanna Lumley and Richard Armitage.
More recently, Harlan’s mystery series Missing You filled Fool Me Once’s big boots after it was well-received by viewers following its release at the end of December.
The five-part series followed Missing Persons detective Kat Donovan (Rosalind Eleazar) who was shocked to see her ex fiancé Josh (Ashley Walters) on a dating app 11 years after he disappeared from her life without a trace.
Josh’s reappearance forced her to dive back into the mystery surrounding her father’s (Lenny Henry) murder and led her to uncover long-buried secrets from her past.
Run Away’s James and Fool Me Once actor Richard joined lead actress Rosalind in the cast which also included Steve Pemberton and Jessica Plummer.
Ruth’s appearance in Manchester comes after Gavin and Stacey co-star and long-time friend Rob Brydon posted an incredible throwback snap of the much-loved TV duo, showing them playing the lead roles in Porthcawl Comprehensive School’s peformance of Carousel.
Ruth, who played Nessa in the sitcom, donned a light pink frilly dress for the production, adding a bright pink bonnet and a white ribbon in her hair.
Harlan’s series Missing You filled Fool Me Once’s boots following its release in December (pictured: Rosalind Elezar as Kat Donovan, Ashley Walters as Josh Buchanan in the show)
Run Away’s James and Fool Me Once actor Richard joined lead actress Rosalind in the cast
The Bridgend-born actress, then 18, wore her brown locks in a typical 1980s perm style and put on a pained expression as she was held by Rob.
Her compatriot, who turned in a star performance as Uncle Bryn West in the BBC comedy, sported a blue waistocat over a white shirt and added light blue jeans, while also boasting a flowing head of hair.
Rob and Ruth’s friendship dates back more than four decades, with the pair first becoming friends aged 14 when at school in Wales.
Speaking about how they first met, Rob told ITV’s Lorraine: ‘I first got into musical theatre at school in the late ’70s, early ’80s, which is where I met Ruth Jones.
‘So, I’ve known her since I was a teenager, and we were in the school musicals together.’
Referring to a throwback photo, the comedian added: ‘That’s Carousel, and I’m wearing my uncle’s stack-heeled boots to give me some kind of height advantage.
‘That’s Ruth there on the left, we also did Guys & Dolls.’
It was a friendship that no doubt helped Rob land his role in Gavin and Stacey, with Ruth previously telling British Comedy Guide that he quickly came to mind once she started writing Bryn’s role.
Ruth was also the brainchild behind the drama Stella in which she played the title character
An incredible throwback snap of Rob Brydon and Ruth emerged last month showing the Welsh actors playing the lead roles in Porthcawl Comprehensive School’s peformance of Carousel
Rob said: ‘She’s still my closest female friend and the closest thing I have to a sister’ (pictured: the pair in the 2019 Christmas special)
The minute he read the first two episodes, he rang Ruth and said: ‘I really, really want to do it.
‘I know exactly who he is; I know exactly what he wears; how he walks; how he speaks.’
Earlier this year, Rob once again discussed his closeness to Ruth, telling the Guardian: ‘I love Ruth, you know.
‘She’s still my closest female friend and the closest thing I have to a sister. Shooting the final special with her was such an emotional thing.’
