Barry Comprehensive School

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On Thursday 2nd October a group of sixth form English students were invited down to Barry Library as part of the Library’s Happy Days launch campaign, where people are being invited to take a fresh look at their library. Ruth Jones, co-writer of ‘Gavin and Stacey’ and the comedy’s infamous Nessa, was guest of honour and the sixth formers were lucky enough to take part in a question and answer session with Ruth. Extremely lucky, since Ruth has had the busiest year of her life, with two costume dramas under her belt (‘Tess of the D’Urbevilles’ and ‘Little Dorrit’), a Christmas Special of ‘Gavin and Stacey being filmed currently, and a Sunday slot on Radio Wales. Tidy, as Nessa would say.

The sixth formers were keen to question Ruth. Ross Cleland wondered how growing up in South Wales has affected Ruth’s writing. Ruth felt that a Welsh influence was very much part of her writing, especially in dialogue. Ruth said her sense of Welshness added local colour to her voices and described herself as someone who enjoyed playing with language.

Grant Jones asked Ruth who would play Nessa if ‘Gavin and Stacey’ were to be rewritten for America: Catherine Zeta Jones, of course, replied Ruth!.

Lewis Crompton asked Ruth about Nessa’s accent being more pronounced than the rest of the ‘Gavin and Stacey’ cast. Ruth then went into a detailed biography of Stacey’s Swansea connections.

Nathan Whitehead asked Ruth about her writing career: Ruth’s mother always said she should write (perhaps mothers always do know best...). Ruth had written a poem aged 6 and can still remember it, even recite it! However, her writing really grew out of periods of being unemployed as an actress. Ruth talked quite seriously about setting herself challenges and not being afraid to try new things. Ruth described a library as ‘a great place to find out about the new challenges to set yourself’. She then went in to a comic monologue, as Nessa, describing Nessa’s six month stint as a Barry Librarian...’I’m not going to lie to you, I am very well read’.

During the session Ruth talked about her passion for Thomas Hardy; she described his novels as being full of ‘what if’ moments and it is this that makes them so real.

Overall, Ruth was inspirational: genuinely funny, extremely interesting, and even philosophical in her outlook. She has really put Barry on the map, describing it has having an ‘amazing perspective’.

Barry comprehensive School would like to thank Rachel Rosser and the organisers at Barry Library for inviting sixth form students to be part of a very exciting day.

Ruth Jones chats with Barry Comprehensive Sixth Formers

At the press conference in the Library

'Nessa' poses for a photo with Sixth Form students