Gavin and Stacey Stars Join Ruth Jones for 60th Birthday Party at Porthcawl Club
- Gavin and Stacey star Ruth Jones celebrated her 60th birthday on September 19, 2026, with a private party at the Porthcawl and Kenfig Hill RAFA Club in Wales,...
- She used to come here as a child and had her first guitar lesson at the RAFA club, so she does hold the club dearly.
- The evening featured several memorable moments involving Jones' colleagues from the hit BBC sitcom.
Gavin and Stacey star Ruth Jones celebrated her 60th birthday on September 19, 2026, with a private party at the Porthcawl and Kenfig Hill RAFA Club in Wales, joined by co-stars James Corden and Rob Brydon. The milestone celebration brought cast members and close collaborators to the venue on New Road in Porthcawl, a location chosen because of Jones’ deep family ties to the area. According to Sarah Prescott, the club’s steward, Jones’ parents were long-standing members of the Royal Air Force Association branch, and the actress spent time there during her childhood.
She used to come here as a child and had her first guitar lesson at the RAFA club, so she does hold the club dearly.
Sarah Prescott
Co-Stars Join the Bar and Stage
The evening featured several memorable moments involving Jones’ colleagues from the hit BBC sitcom. James Corden, who co-wrote Gavin and Stacey and starred opposite Jones as Smithy, spent part of the night working behind the bar and pouring pints of Guinness. Corden also took to the microphone to perform Billy Paul’s “Me and Mrs Jones.” Later in the program, Jones reunited with Rob Brydon on stage to deliver a rendition of the country classic “Islands in the Stream,” a duet famously performed by their characters on the show. Additional attendees at the private gathering included cast members Melanie Walters and Alison Steadman, alongside writer and performer Steve Speirs. Writing for WalesOnline, journalists Lois McCarthy and Indigo Jones reported that the celebration included a spread of food, floral arrangements from the Little Floral Boutique, birthday cupcakes, and champagne. Musical entertainment for the evening was provided by the band The Kettleheads.
A Boost for the Local Venue
Club management noted that organizing the high-profile gathering required careful planning and tight security to keep the event private prior to the night itself. Prescott told the BBC that staff did not realize the scale of the guest list until the attendees began arriving through the doors. Following the event, representatives for Jones sent a message stating that the actress was utterly delighted and felt the party exceeded her expectations. In a post on social media shared by WalesOnline, the RAFA Club thanked Jones for bringing the celebration back to her hometown.
It was a great honour to us all at the club that Ruth put her trust in us to host this very special event and bring her party back home to the RAFA.
Sarah Prescott
Prescott added that the publicity generated by the birthday gathering has driven an increase in new booking inquiries for the social club, remarking that the event has successfully put the venue back on the map.