James Corden and Ruth Jones, the co-creators of Gavin & Stacey, are reuniting for a new comedy drama series called The Choir. The eight-episode production will air on Apple TV and feature guest appearances from Hannah Waddingham, James McAvoy and Jim Broadbent.
The storyline sees Corden and Jones play estranged siblings Ben and Lisa. The pair have not seen each other for several years, with Ben having lived abroad. Lisa, meanwhile, stayed at home in the small town where "nothing ever happens".
Ben's reluctant return
Ben is forced to return home following a change in circumstances, coming back to "a life he never wanted, a town he never liked and a family from which he's estranged".
Other cast members include Tom Davis, Rosie Sheehy, Susan Brown, Jason Watkins, Alexandria Riley, Sylvestra Le Touzel, Tom Edden, Gary Lamont, Emily Lloyd-Saini, Stephen Leask, Luiis Rouf, Jo Foster, Evie Jones and Farrah Abbassy.
Executive producers and premiere
Alongside their main roles, Jones and Corden also serve as executive producers on the series. It is expected to premiere next year.
The production marks a return to partnership following the pair's hugely successful Gavin & Stacey. Jones played Vanessa "Nessa" Jenkins and Corden played Neil "Smithy" Smith, best friends of the title characters across three series.
Cast closeness and success
There were also three Christmas specials between 2007 and 2024. Joanna Page, who played Stacey in the sitcom, recently told the Mirror the cast remained close and even have an active WhatsApp group.
Explaining why she thought the show was such a success, she said: "I think it was just the fact that it's just we can all recognise our own families in it, and that it's all about family and love, really. We can all watch it and go, 'Oh, my god, that's what I'm like,' or, 'That's my relationship with my mother-in-law.'"
She added: "I mean, the amount of people that I meet and the women say, 'Oh, my god, Pam is my mother-in-law!' I meet somebody practically every day that's like, 'Oh, my god, Pam and Mick,' or, 'That's exactly what my in-laws are like.'"
"And I think that, you know, it's just basic human relationships, and it's love, and it's Christmas, and it's arguments, and it's family. And I think wherever we're from, whatever experiences we've all had, it's just basic human relationships, so you can look at that and you can go, 'Well, yeah, my mother-in-law is like that.'"
"That is the relationship with my mother. This is the sort of things that we bicker and we argue about, you know, me and my husband."
