Larry Lamb has revealed the lie he told Ruth Jones when she asked him if he would be available for the Gavin And Stacey reunion.
The beloved BBC sitcom is returning for the last ever episode on Christmas Day after Ruth and co-creator James Corden penned the final in secret.
Larry, 76, who plays Gavin’s father Mick, told how Ruth, 57, phoned him out of the blue to let him know about the reunion.
Appearing on Friday’s Loose Women with his son George, 44, Larry said: ‘I was sitting in a station, pouring with rain. The phone rang and it was Ruth.
‘I wondered what she was calling for. “You on you own?” I lied and said “Yes”. She just told me basically: “Will you be free this time heading towards the end of the year?”
Larry Lamb (centre right) has revealed the lie he told Ruth Jones when she asked him if he would be available for the Gavin And Stacey reunion (L-R Kaye Adams, Kelly Holmes and George Lamb)
The beloved BBC sitcom is returning for the last ever episode on Christmas Day after Ruth and co-creator James Corden penned the final in secret (Larry pictured with co-stars Matthew Horne and Alison Steadman)
Larry, 76, who plays Gavin’s father Mick, told how Ruth, 57, (left) phoned him out of the blue to let him know about the reunion (pictured with James Corden)
‘She said: “Looks like we will get the green light on a new deal coming in again.”
‘I said: “Another grand finale?” and she said “Yes”. I bet that has a cliffhanger at the end of that as well.’
Larry appeared on Loose Women in April with Gavin And Stacey co-star Joanna Page and denied a reunion was taking place, saying ‘definitely not’ when asked if there would be more episodes.
Asked why he lied, Larry said: ‘My career was dicey enough. It was hanging on the line. Things get out, there are party spoilers everywhere. Imagine what it will be like when we start doing that script.
‘I bet we get together and read it and they take it back, and scene by scene it will be given out.’
Ruth, who plays Nessa, and James, who plays Smithy, reunited in secret to pen the special after recently denying another episode was in the works, nearly five years after the last episode aired in 2019.
Taking to Instagram, the pair shared a black and white photo of themselves holding up the script.
Alongside the post, they wrote: ‘Some news… It’s official! We have finished writing the last ever episode of Gavin and Stacey. See you on Christmas Day, BBC One. Love Ruth and James!’
Larry said: ‘The phone rang and it was Ruth. ‘I wondered what she was calling for. “You on you own?” I lied and said “Yes”. She just told me basically: “Will you be free this time heading towards the end of the year?”
Ruth and James reunited in secret to pen the special after recently denying another episode was in the works, nearly five years after the last episode aired in 2019.
The pair wrote: ‘Some news… It’s official! We have finished writing the last ever episode of Gavin and Stacey’
Joanna, who plays Stacey, reshared James and Ruth’s photo to her Instagram and wrote: ‘Oh my God it’s happening! So excited! Last ever Gavin And Stacey! Christmas Day @bbcone Can’t wait to start filming!’
Joanna also shared a statement with ITV’s Loose Women that read: ‘I’m very excited for the return of the Gavin and Stacey and can’t wait to come back on and tell you all about it’.
The actress also revealed she ‘can’t wait to find out what happens’ next on the BBC show as she doesn’t know what happens after the 2019 Christmas cliffhanger when Nessa proposed to Smithy.
Speaking on Off The Telly on BBC Sounds podcast, Joanna said: ‘I’m so excited to see the gang again and start filming, and I can’t wait to find out if Smithy has said yes. I can’t wait to find out what’s happening to everybody!
‘I’m going to have to keep that script away from your [Natalie’s] little paws but yeah we are going to be able to review it on our show at Christmas and I will be very cross if you aren’t sitting down on Christmas Day watching me!’
Matthew Horne, who portrays Gavin, seemed excited for the reunion as he reshared the snap of Ruth and James holding up the new script, he wrote: ‘Happy Christmas’.
It was previously reported that a new episode of Gavin And Stacey was in the works but Ruth Jones denied it.
Reports circulated online claiming the cast was set to film a new episode over the summer with the plan to air it at Christmas, five years on from a dramatic cliffhanger.
The critically acclaimed series follows the lives of the two titular characters Gavin from Essex and Stacey from South Wales, documenting key points in their long-distance relationship and events that bring the two families together
US outlet Deadline reported that the new special was in development/pre-production stages currently and that it will be produced by Steve Coogan’s Baby Cow, Jones’ Tidy Productions and Fulwell 73, which is co-owned by Corden.
But Ruth insisted the speculation was ‘sadly a rumour’ during an interview on Irish station RTE Radio 1.
Asked about the reports, she said: ‘Apparently there’s a bidding war going on between the BBC and Netflix and I love it because it says ‘a source says’, who is this source?’
Ruth added: ‘It’s sadly a rumour… All I can say is, if there was something to say on that front, James and I would happily announce it, we would.’
The actress said she thought the rumours were sparked after she was photographed having lunch with Corden a few months back after he returned to the UK from living in America.
‘Then the next thing is ‘Oh my god they must be writing more Gavin And Stacey’, which is lovely,’ she said.
‘It’s lovely that people are so desperate for it because imagine if it was the opposite and were like ‘Oh, god, you’re not bringing that back again’.’