Ruth Jones bid farewell to Sister Act The Musical and transformed into her beloved character Nessa Jenkins, known from Gavin & Stacey, after playing the Mother Superior at the Dominion Theatre in London.
The 57-year-old actress joined the all-star cast of the hit West End show in March and continued her career by making her final appearance on stage last month.
And while receiving praise from her fellow cast members, Ruth treated the audience of her final show to a visit from fan favourite Nessa and announced the long-awaited return of Gavin & Stacey.
Filming for the final episode of the beloved comedy began on Monday, after creators Ruth and James Corden announced the series would return in May.
Lesley Joseph praised her friend and co-star and was reduced to tears as she expressed her love for Ruth, calling her “amazing”.
Ruth Jones transformed into her beloved Gavin & Stacey character Nessa Jenkins to bid farewell to Sister Act The Musical, following her role as Mother Superior at London’s Dominion Theatre
The 57-year-old actress joined the all-star cast of the hit West End show in March and continued her career by taking to the stage for the final time last month.
And while receiving praise from her fellow cast members, Ruth treated the audience of her final show to a visit from fan favourite Nessa and announced the long-awaited return of Gavin & Stacey (pictured on the show)
She began, “The convent bids farewell to the miracle 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 in a fantastic way and it is a joy to perform with her, not only on stage but off stage – the generosity, the wonderful witness, the fun.’
The crowd then cheered and Lesley said, “The only positive thing about Ruth leaving the convent is that we know where she’s going!’
She continued: ‘And I can guarantee that we will all be on stage and I think you will all be there watching Gavin & Stacey on Christmas Day.’
Ruth was presented with a bouquet of flowers and became visibly emotional as she said: ‘I can only say that the past few months have been some of the best months of my life.
‘I have never done a professional musical before and it is a great privilege for me to work with these exceptional people on and off stage.
‘It was just an amazing experience, I can’t say it enough and I want to thank the audience for that.
‘It was amazing and I got a message from a friend of mine, Nessa Shanessa Jenkins…’
Filming for the final episode of the beloved comedy began on Monday, after creators Ruth and James Corden announced the show would return in May (pictured together in a 2009 show)
This comes after James, 46, confirmed filming was underway for Gavin & Stacey, as he shared a behind-the-scenes look at the first day of filming
Captioning the teasing photo, James wrote: ‘Day 1. Here we go x’, while his followers went wild in the comments, declaring: ‘This is history’
As the crowd shouted excitedly, Ruth slipped seamlessly into Nessa’s strong Welsh accent: ‘She said, “Oh. I’m not joking, but this convent and this custom is starting to get on my nerves, so I’m going back to Barry.
“I’m going to be doing a few shifts on the slots. In the meantime, I’m saying goodbye to this bunch of scoundrels. God knows when I’ll see them again, but it was absolutely fantastic. You guys were awesome, babes!”
This came after James, 46, confirmed that filming was underway for Gavin & Stacey, sharing a behind-the-scenes look at the first day of filming.
The actor posted a photo on his Instagram on Monday showing the side of his character Neil ‘Smithy’ Smith’s iconic blue Volvo, which he uses to advertise his building and decorating services.
On the window is written: ‘Smithy’s: If your husband won’t do it – I will… Tilin, Roofing, Plasterin, & Feng Shui. Call me at 07700978978’.
James captioned the funny picture: ‘Day 1. Here we go x’, while his followers in the comments enthusiastically responded: ‘This is history’ and ‘I’m looking forward to this more than Christmas itself’.
This came after co-star Rob Brydon suggested filming for the show was taking place when he shared a selfie with Ruth on Saturday.
The 59-year-old actor, who plays popular uncle Bryn, beamed alongside his co-star and teased: “Something’s happening… #gavinandstacey.”
This comes after co-star Rob Brydon suggested filming for the show was underway when he shared a selfie with Ruth on Saturday
The 59-year-old actor, who plays popular uncle Bryn, beamed alongside his co-star and said: ‘Something’s happening… #gavinandstacey’
Fans can return to Barry Island after the sitcom last aired on Christmas Day 2019 and became the most-watched non-sporting event in a decade.
At the climax of the episode, Nessa knelt down to propose to Smithy, but viewers never got to hear his reaction.
Rob previously said he was “moved to tears” when he saw the script and said the episode would be very “emotional.”
Speaking live to Chris Evans from Laverstoke Park Farm, Rob said of the final episode: ‘At first we knew it was going to happen but we were told 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 someone’s face.”
He continued, “It took a couple of months for the cast to see the script. I just saw it, we were on vacation, we were away, about a month ago. I read it. Oh, it’s so good.”
When Chris asked Rob if he said that because he had to, Rob replied, “No, actually I wouldn’t. I don’t want to tempt fate, but I think it’s fantastic.”
He revealed: ‘You know what? I was moved to tears, because it’s emotional.’
Fans can return to Barry Island after the sitcom last aired on Christmas Day in 2019, becoming the most-watched non-sporting event in a decade (James, Joanna Page, Mathew Horne and Ruth pictured in 2019)
At the climax of the episode, Nessa knelt down on one knee to propose to Smithy, but viewers never got to hear his reaction
In July, James gave a major update on Gavin & Stacey when he appeared on Capital Breakfast radio, revealing that the final script was almost ready.
Host Jordan North asked him, “Is everything written down, is everything recorded? Is there anything left to write about?”
James replied, “It’s written well, but now we’re rewriting it. So we have to, we have to take some time away, we have to change some bits.
‘We did that, it’s quite tricky because Ruth Jones (Nessa) is in Sister Act in the West End at the moment and I’m doing The Constituent at the Old Vic.
‘So, we’ve done quite a bit of writing in dressing rooms and stuff like that, and then we both look at each other, pretty tired from the plays, but tomorrow we’re going to do it again.
‘Back to work on Friday. I hope Friday… that it’s done and finished this Friday!’
Then Jordan said, ‘This Friday? Is that the deadline?’
James then joked, “Well, it’s the deadline we’ve set ourselves, because we’re starting filming pretty soon now. It’s not too far away.”