Joanna Page and Ruth Jones pay tribute to late Gavin and Stacey star
Joanna Page and Ruth Jones have shared heartfelt memories of their late 'Gavin and Stacey' co-star Margaret John, who was fondly remembered for her role as the spirited Doris O'Neill. The actress passed away in 2011 at 84, and as the final 'Gavin and Stacey' Christmas special for 2024 approaches, her former castmates took a moment to honour her legacy.
Speaking on BBC Sounds' 'Barry Island Discs', Joanna Page, known for her portrayal of Stacey Shipman, reflected: "Working with Maggie John has got to be one of the highlights of ‘Gavin and Stacey’. " She added, "I just love how her character got bigger and worse and saucier and sexier as the series went on."
Ruth Jones, who not only played Nessa Jenkins but also co-created the series with James Corden, reminisced about the casting process, saying: "I do remember when we were casting ‘Gavin and Stacey’ and we had this character of Doris, the next-door neighbour who was a little bit rude."
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She continued, sharing the insight from director Chris Gernon: "Chris Gernon, our director, said ‘I know exactly the actress to play that part - it's Maggie John.’ " Joanna Page, 47, also shared a personal anecdote about filming her first scene with Margaret John, describing the late actress as "hilarious".
"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.' " Another memorable moment for Joanna was when Doris attempted to play the drums at Neil the Baby’s christening, while Rob Brydon’s Uncle Bryn performed Labi Siffre’s 1987 song ‘So Strong’. The actress recalled: "He was quite nervous when he was doing it, Rob, because he wanted to do it well. Oh my gosh, he does it so incredibly well. " "I remember sitting in the pews and laughing all the way through and just desperately trying to keep it together."
"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. " "She would wait like a second and then go ‘boom’ so it was always unintentionally late with the timing. It was absolutely hilarious."
"One of the best days filming, ever."
