Life

TV Quickfire: Gavin And Stacey's Ruth Jones on Who Do You Think You Are?

Welsh writer, comedian and actress Ruth Jones’s journey in Who Do You Think You Are? focuses on the two grandfathers she never met. We quizzed her about it

Ruth Jones, best known as the creator of hit sitcom Gavin And Stacey, on Who Do You Think You Are?
Ruth Jones, best known as the creator of hit sitcom Gavin And Stacey, on Who Do You Think You Are? Ruth Jones, best known as the creator of hit sitcom Gavin And Stacey, on Who Do You Think You Are?

HOW MUCH DID YOU KNOW ABOUT YOUR FAMILY HISTORY?

My journey was focused on my two grandfathers who I never met. I knew a bit about my dad’s father because he died in the late 50s and my dad talked about him a lot – having said that, I thought I’d find out about his military experience in World War 1. But that wasn’t the road we went down… My mum’s father was a mystery even to her as he died when she was two. I was really keen to find out about the Welsh-speaking element in our family and to go back to a time when Welsh was spoken as a first language in our family.

YOU LEARN THAT YOUR GRANDFATHER HENRY JONES HELPED SET UP A TEMPLATE FOR THE NHS…

I was very proud of him – he seemed to be a real defender of the underdog and was very committed to his cause. He was passionate about the Medical Aid associations and I hadn’t realised how important they were as a forerunner to the NHS.

ARE THERE ANY OTHER DISCOVERIES THAT STAND OUT?

I got to read some letters from my paternal grandfather to my grandmother and they were so tender and romantic. I did wonder if he was looking down, how he’d feel about my reading out his love letters on national television. It was heartwarming to discover how in love my grandparents were though.

DO YOU FEEL EVEN CLOSER TO YOUR WELSH ROOTS NOW?

Yes, this is something I’ve been really proud to discover – the fact that my family certainly on my mum’s side were Welsh speakers. I felt a real affinity with New Quay when I went there – it’s the original inspiration for Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood.

WERE YOU EMOTIONAL DURING FILMING?

It was emotional at times. I think everyone gets a bit emotional when discussing family don’t they? I am really grateful for the experience. It was such an enjoyable week, with a lovely production crew, and the people I met en route were so interesting – all the historians. History is far from boring.

DO YOU THINK EVERYONE SHOULD TRY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR FAMILY HISTORY?

Well, it gives us a kind of context, doesn’t it, about who we are. I think as you get older you become more interested in finding out where you come from emotionally and geographically. I’m not sure I would have been so interested in my 20s – I probably thought I was going to live forever back then. But I wish I had been more interested, because there were people alive then that I could have asked questions – such as I wish I’d asked my maternal grandmother about her husband, and his family. He was just this sort of mythical character, and although I’ve found out a lot about his ancestors, I still don’t know a lot about him. So I think I might make this my project – to continue the journey I’ve started with WDYTYA.

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NEXT?

Well, my new novel Us Three hasn’t long been out and I’m just starting work on my third novel. I am also co-writing two TV scripts with [husband] David Peet.

DO YOU FEEL CREATIVELY INSPIRED BY ANYTHING YOU’VE LEARNED ON WDYTYA?

It’s made me want to look at a story about generations, and how the ‘old’ were ‘young’. Watch this space.

:: Watch Ruth Jones’ episode of Who Do You Think You Are? on BBC One this evening.