Gavin & Stacey star Ruth Jones says getting honorary doctorate from Open University was ‘tidy, lush and crackin’

Welsh actor, comedian, author, writer and producer Ruth Jones was presented with an honorary degree from The Open University (OU) in Wales during a graduation ceremony at the International Convention Centre (ICC) Wales in Newport on Friday 4 November.

Ruth was born in Bridgend. She trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and went on to work at the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Ruth’s screen credits include East Is East, Emma and Fat Friends. Together with her long-time writing partner James Corden, she created the BBC One hit Gavin and Stacey, in which she memorably played Nessa, Stacey’s closest friend. In 2008, Ruth set up Tidy Productions with her husband, co-creating Stella for Sky 1, in which Ruth played the titular role.

Ruth’s first two novels, Never Greener and Us Three, were Sunday Times Bestsellers, and Us Three won her a Comedy Women in Print Award. Her third novel, Love Untold, came out in September and was itself an instant Sunday Times Bestseller. In 2013 she was awarded an honorary doctorate from Warwick University and in 2014 she was presented with an MBE for services to entertainment.

Ruth Jones said: “It’s an immense privilege to be given an honorary doctorate from The Open University – an institution I have always respected and admired for its inclusivity and openness to all. It epitomizes positivity and potential fulfilment which is no small thing in this day and age! In the words of my alter ego Nessa Jenkins, receiving this honorary doctorate is ‘tidy, lush and crackin’.”

Louise Casella, Director of The Open University in Wales said: “Ruth Jones has been a regular fixture on televisions across Wales and the UK for almost two decades. She played one of comedy’s best loved characters Nessa in Gavin and Stacey, a programme which made her and her collaborators household names. As an actor, she has also appeared on radio and the stage, playing dramatic and comic roles with equal skill. Ruth has also made a lasting contribution to the arts behind the camera – both as a producer and writer for the screen, and more recently as an accomplished author.”

(Lead image: Open University)