Jones: Stella characters real to me
1:16am Sunday 13th January 2013 in National Entertainment News © Press Association 2013
Ruth Jones was worried her Sky1 show Stella would be compared unfavourably with Gavin And Stacey
Ruth Jones has confessed she likes to imagine the characters she dreams up for sitcom Stella are real people.
The Gavin And Stacey star is back with a second series of the Sky 1 HD show, which she created with husband David Peet.
Ruth said of the inhabitants of her fictional Welsh town of Pontyberry: "I think the characters that live in Stella's world are so varied and rich.
"There are so many of them and they're a joy to write for. Perhaps this is a sign of my mental state but I sort of think they exist, which helps when I'm writing them."
Despite earning a Bafta nomination for her portrayal of title character Stella, Ruth admits she is still best known for the BBC sitcom Gavin And Stacey.
"Obviously because of Gavin And Stacey, the expectation was very high," she said of debuting her new show last year.
"Even now people are talking about Gavin And Stacey, which is fine. I'm not really that bothered by it as it shows how strong its popularity was, but I was worried people were going to say Stella wasn't as good."
:: The second series of Stella continues on Sky1 on Friday nights.
