Fans of Gavin & Stacey are convinced they’ve cracked the mystery of how old the character of Nessa Jenkins is supposed to be.
Devotees of the hit sitcom – which made a festive comeback on Christmas Day and was watched by a whopping 12.3 million – on Facebook have done some sums and reckon Stacey’s best friend is in her mid 50s.
The unique character, who runs an amusement arcade in Barry but has travelled the world and laid claims to leading a very colourful life, is played by the show’s co-writer Ruth Jones, 53.
But it has always seemed Nessa has a few years on Stacey – played by Joanna Page, 42 – because she once claimed to have worked as a driver for Gladys Knight and the Pips in 1979.
Read more: Gavin & Stacey star Ruth Jones hints at more episodes after Christmas special cliffhanger
That might indicate that by the time TV audiences were introduced to her in 2007 – assuming the show’s action was set in the exact present at the time – she was in her forties.
According to The Sun’s website, a viewer contributing to a fan page about the series believes it all tots up to making Nessa around the same age as Uncle Bryn, played by Rob Brydon.
She’s now 54.
The fan, thought to be called Isobel Newman, wrote: “She said in the Christmas special that when Stacey was 17, she was around 35.
“This means that she is 18 years older than Stacey. When the show started, it says that both Gavin and Stacey are 26, meaning that Nessa was 44 at the start.
We had to be together to watch it go out tonight!Gavin and Stacey is a show about friendship and family. Tonight’s show has been a labour of love from start to finish and we hope you enjoy it.Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing.Happy Christmas from us both #GavinandStacey pic.twitter.com/kUKMiXUEyL
— James Corden (@JKCorden) December 25, 2019
Read more: Ruth Jones almost scrapped the Gavin & Stacey festive episode
“Add 10 years on to that, and she’s now 54, meaning that she’s around the same age as Bryn.”
Earlier this week, Ruth hinted more episodes could be on the way following the first instalment since the last series concluded at the start of 2010.
Speaking about a possible future for the BBC comedy following the cliffhanger ending, she told The Sun: “I do say never say never, as while we did make it work that was after three years of trying to find time when we could sit down and write it.
“Obviously with the way it ends, there is room for more. It’s a shame we didn’t have more time when we were writing so we could have written more, then have it all ready to go.”
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