Gavin and Stacey cast members have paid tribute to the late Margaret John (Picture: BBC)
Gavin and Stacey stars Ruth Jones and Joanna Page have paid tribute to the late actress Margaret John who played Doris on the BBC series and died in 2011.
The Gavin and Stacey Christmas special is set to air on Christmas day and fans have been going wild with their own theories about how stars and co-creators will be bringing the beloved series to a close.
In the lead-up to the special, Ruth, 58, and Joanna, 47, paid tribute to one of the most beloved cast members of the show, as they discussed Margaret’s contribution to the series.
‘Working with Maggie John has got to be one of the highlights of Gavin & Stacey,’ said Joanna Page in an interview with Alex Jones for Barry Island Discs, the new BBC Sounds special.
‘I just love how her character got bigger and worse and saucier and sexier as the series went on.’
Co-creator of the series Ruth added the actress was selected specifically for the role.
‘I do remember when we were casting Gavin & Stacey and we had this character of Doris, the next-door neighbour who was a little bit rude.’
‘Chris Gernon, our director, said “I know exactly the actress to play that part – it’s Maggie John”.’
Margaret John played Doris in the series (Picture: PA)
The series returned for a special in 2019 (Picture: BBC)
Joanna, who plays Stacey in the series added that acting alongside Margaret sticks in her mind as she shot her first scene of the series with her.
‘From, I think, the first series, I always remember filming it because it was my first scene as well,” said Page.
‘Getting off the bus, walking across the road and going “Alright Dor?” and then she gives me advice on what I should be like when I travel up to London to see Gavin, and she gives me a little bit of saucy advice.
‘From that moment I just thought “Oh my god, this woman is just so hilarious and lovely, and brilliant”.’
The actress also lifted the lid on an iconic scene that saw Doris play the drums – completely off-beat – while Uncle Bryn sang ‘So Strong’ at a baby’s christening.
Joanna revealed that Doris’s out-of-time drumming was entirely down to Maggie: ‘Because you had Uncle Bryn going for it with a song that you never ever really hear at a christening, and then you had Maggie, the wonderful Margaret John who was on the drums, and we loved Maggie so much… but she was very nervous and she couldn’t get the timing.’
The show will return on Christmas Day (Picture: BBC/GS TV Productions Ltd/Tom Jackson)
Steffan Rhodri – best known as coach driver Dave ‘Coaches’ Gooch revealed to Metro that he is set to return to the show after missing out on the 2019 Christmas special.
He revealed that the last scene of the show will see the entire cast together: ‘They planned it so that with the last scene we did, which is the ending, we were all together and it was very touching.’
He commented on filming the show: ‘It was like putting on a pair of old trousers. It was really lovely to hang out with them again.’
The Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special airs on Christmas Day at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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