By Abby Allen
Copyright hellomagazine
Ring the alarm! Gavin & Stacey co-creators James Corden and Ruth Jones are officially reuniting for a brand-new Apple TV+ comedy-drama, The Choir. The pair will serve as writers and executive producers of the eight-episode series, which follows estranged siblings Ben and Lisa. After years spent apart – Ben living abroad, Lisa remaining in their sleepy English hometown – Ben is drawn back home when “events take a sorry turn,” forcing him to confront a life and family he’d hoped to leave behind.
As a huge Gavin & Stacey fan, I’m thrilled about this news. Ruth and James are the ultimate writing duo, and the This Country-style plot promises a truly brilliant slice of British comedy – I can’t wait to hear more! With production due to begin in 2026, the welcome news has got us wondering: who could join the cast of this hotly anticipated new series? Here, we take a look inside James Corden and Ruth Jones’s dream wish-list…
Who has James said he’d like to work with?
Reuniting with Ruth Jones always seemed inevitable for James, who told The Independent back in 2011: “We’d both be disappointed if we didn’t at least try. We talk all the time. The thought of being in a room with her again, whether that’s to write Gavin and Stacey or something new, is sometimes all that spurs me on.”
As for other potential co-stars, James has previously spoken about reuniting with Matthew Horne – his Gavin & Stacey co-star and former sketch partner on Horne & Corden and Lesbian Vampire Killers.
“Of course,” said James. “He’s wonderful. It just has to be the right thing. The absolute truth is that neither of those things was good enough. You can’t do anything without making mistakes otherwise you just sit on your own, staring at rugs. You realise that it’s more important to do four good lines with good people in a good film than have 400 lines in a bad film.”
Who has Ruth said she’d like to work with?
Ruth, meanwhile, has her own dream casting in mind. Speaking to British Comedy Guide, she revealed: “Dawn French. I’m a mad, crazed fan. I went to see her one-woman show, 30 Million Minutes, and it was wonderful. Funny, but very, very moving. It’s her life story and she tells it in such an unpitying way.”
A new project
The Choir marks the first major collaboration between James and Ruth since the record-breaking Gavin & Stacey finale in 2024, which drew 20 million views in total after its Christmas Day debut. The quintessentially British sitcom cemented itself as one of the nation’s most beloved, starring the likes of Rob Brydon, Larry Lamb, Alison Steadman, Joanna Page, Melanie Walters, Julia Davis, Adrian Scarborough and Sheridan Smith. Whoever ends up in The Choir, one thing’s for sure: when it comes to casting, James and Ruth certainly know how to pick them!
