Co-created with her pal Steve Speirs

Gavin and Stacey co-creator Ruth Jones will write and star in new BBC comedy about middle-aged relationships.

The as-yet-untitled show is a collaboration with Steve Speirs, star of the Welsh sitcom The Tuckers and known for playing Richard Burbage in Upstart Crow.

Jones will play an environmental officer called Shelley-Ann, who is 55 and going through a bitter divorce, while Speirs is retired teacher Clive, 60 and widowed. The series follows their unlikely friendship after they meet at a knee trauma clinic.

Jones said: 'I’m so grateful to the BBC for commissioning our new series. Steve and I are old friends and working with him is always a thrill. Can’t wait.'

Speirs added: ‘Thanks to the team at the BBC for backing our new show. I’ve worked with Ruth for over 30 years and am really looking forward to doing it again!’

The pair met through mutual friend Rob Brydon in the early 1990s and have stayed friends ever since, appearing in a number of shows together, including Jones’s Sky sitcom Stella. ‘We’ve also gone through a lot of life's milestones together,’ Jones said earlier this year.

'Ruth’s been to christenings of my children, my birthdays, my weddings, my divorces… I think that’s what has cemented us,’ Speirs added. 

The pair recently  joined forces to  make a TV tribute to Merthyr Tydfil, with a follow-up about Porthcawl in the works.

The new six-part comedy will be made by Jones’s production company Tidy and air on BBC One and BBC Wales.

Nick Andrews, head of commissioning at BBC Wales, said: ‘It’s a total delight to be working with Ruth and Steve again. 

‘We’re having such a cool time in comedy at the moment with audiences coming in big numbers; to have this project now joining such a rich slate of content is beyond exciting. Superb news.’

Jon Petrie, the BBC’s director of comedy, added: ‘We were genuinely weak at the knees when this script first landed in our inboxes. 

‘It’s a rare thing to read something that feels so instantly special, and we cannot wait to see it come to life. Having comedy powerhouses like Ruth and Steve choose to bring this to the BBC is a real privilege, and we’re hugely grateful for their trust.’

» Here's a joint interview with Jones and Speirs to promote the Merthyr show

Published: 7 Oct 2025