James Corden wrote the 'Gavin and Stacey' Christmas special script "over Facetime" with Ruth Jones.
James Corden
The 40-year-old actor - who has kids Max, eight, Carey, four, and 19-month-old Charlotte with his wife Julia Carey - has revealed the writing duo penned the script together during early morning video calls and mutually agreed to not tell the BBC.
He said: "We wrote the new script over Facetime. I would get up at 4am, and work with Ruth until it was time to take Max to school.
"We didn't tell anyone we were doing it, certainly not the BBC. We thought, 'We'll do it for us and we'll know if it's right'. We've seen too many people ruin what they've done - for no reason."
James - who moved to Los Angeles to present 'The Late Late Show', which is famous for its celebrity Carpool Karaoke - has insisted he doesn't want the one-off comedy Christmas special to be seen as a "career-emergency".
Speaking to GQ magazine, he added: "We would've hated for Gavin & Stacey to be seen as something we're reviving in a panic, over no longer being relevant ... we're hoping it won't be seen as this career-emergency, break the glass decision."
The 'Cats' star has also opened up about one day leaving 'The Late Late Show', and explained he's worried he'll be a question people "struggle to answer" on the US game show 'Jeopardy!'
He added: "The day might come and I might not be brave enough. I've go to try to make peace with this idea, that if I walk away from this show, there's a chance I become a question on Jeopardy. One people struggle to answer."
James and Ruth play Smithy and Nessa Jenkins in the sitcom - which they co-created - alongside Mathew Horne and Joanna Page, who star as the titular characters.
Read the full interview in the September issue of British GQ, available on newsstands and digital download on Friday (02.08.19).
Tagged in James Corden Ruth Jones