*minor spoilers ahead*
This book offers a nostalgic, behind-the-scenes insight into the making of Gavin & Stacey, told through a mix of personal reflections, photos, script excerpts, and candid conversations between Ruth Jones and James Corden. It feels part memoir, part creative scrapbook, giving fans a closer look at how the show came to life and how their friendship evolved alongside it.
As a huge Gavin & Stacey fan, I had to pick up the signed version of this book to see how the scriptwriting came together and what really went on behind the scenes. The book definitely delivers on that front, offering loads of original scripts, emails, and rough notes. These raw extracts were fascinating to read, but the formatting could be a bit messy at times; the lack of spacing and the occasional spelling slip-up pulled me out of the moment more than once. There were also a few instances where parts of a script were repeated in different chapters. It didn’t happen too often, but when it did, it felt unnecessary and slightly disrupted the flow.
My favourite parts were the conversations between Ruth and James. Those sections read like a transcript from a podcast; they were easy, relaxed, and genuinely engaging. It actually made me wish I’d listened to the audiobook instead, because their back-and-forth is such a highlight. It really made the reader understand their friendship more and the humour they share.
I really enjoyed reading about their relationship over the years, how fame, work, and distance shaped things, and how they’ve stayed close through all of it. The book covered the highs, the lows and even some of Ruth and James’s arguments. As someone who remembers James becoming huge in America, it was especially interesting to see how writing Gavin & Stacey fit around that period of his life and how this changed the dynamic throughout their friendship and the wider cast.
One standout story for me was their retelling of James’ 40th birthday trip to Mexico, where John Bishop was randomly in the room next to Ruth, Harry Styles (!!) was also on the trip, and Ruth decided to perform a song in front of him. These stories were super fun to read about.
The book ends with a hint that they’ve been writing together again, which is exciting, and so fingers crossed we get to see what becomes of that project. Overall, this is the perfect book if you’re a fan of the show. Despite a few formatting quirks, I really enjoyed reading it, and it was a nice, light-hearted read.
4/5 stars
Soph's Library 
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