Ruth Jones has slammed "really mean" leaks about the upcoming 'Gavin and Stacey' special.
Ruth Jones has admitted it was 'unfortunate' Gavin and Stacey's upcoming special was leaked
Earlier this year, it was reported by Deadline that the 57-year-old comedian and her co-writer James Corden, 45, were planning to bring back the beloved BBC sitcom for another festive episode this year, and Ruth has admitted she was upset because she wanted to "give everybody a nice surprise".
Speaking to BBC Radio 4, she said: "It was unfortunate because James and I wanted to give everybody a nice surprise and I think it was really mean that they leaked it.
"Because also it meant that I had to lie to people, to friends and family, because they were all saying 'is it happening?', and the reality is that until you have your cast booked, budget worked out, all of those things, you cannot say categorically that it is going to happen."
Soon after the news broke, it was then reported the BBC and Netflix were locked in a bidding war over the episode.
An industry insider told The Sun newspaper: "The provisional Netflix offer, coming as it does from a global conglomerate, dwarfs anything that the Beeb could offer — but Ruth and James aren’t about the money.
"They simply want to offer fans the best viewing experience possible, and, essentially, get as many bums on seats to watch their baby.
"It would be a huge coup for Netflix to steal this flagship British comedy from the nose of the BBC and, indeed, there may be a world in which this happens."
When it was reported the American streaming giant was interested in the Christmas special, the TV star dismissed the story as nothing but hearsay.
During an appearance on RTE Radio 1, she said: "All I can say is, if there was something to say on that front, James and I would happily announce it, we would.
"Apparently there’s a bidding war going on between the BBC and Netflix and I love it because it says, 'a source says', who is this source?"
After months of rumours, James and Ruth confirmed the programme would be returning for the last time this Christmas.
Taking to Instagram, the former 'Late Late Show' host posted a picture of himself posing with his co-writer holding up the script for 'Gavin and Stacey: The Finale', and added the caption: "It's official! We have finished writing the last ever episode of ‘Gavin and Stacey’.
"See you on Christmas Day, BBC One. Love Ruth and James (sic)."
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