They soared to number one in the charts 15 years ago with a humorous rendition of the song Islands In The Stream while dressed as their Gavin and Stacey characters.

But it turns out Rob Brydon and Ruth Jones’s double-act had been decades in the making, with the pair taking to their school’s stage together as early as 1984.

An incredible throwback snap of the much-loved TV duo has now emerged, showing the Welsh actors playing the lead roles in Porthcawl Comprehensive School’s peformance of Carousel – and there are some rather questionable hairdo and clothing choices on show. 

Ruth, who played Nessa Jenkins in Gavin and Stacey, donned a light pink frilly dress for the production, adding a bright pink bonnet and a white ribbon in her hair.

The Bridgend-born actress, then 18, wore her brown locks in a typical 1980s perm style and put on a pained expression as she was held by Rob.

Her compatriot, who turned in a star performance as Uncle Bryn West in the BBC comedy, sported a blue waistocat over a white shirt and added light blue jeans, while also boasting a flowing head of hair. 

An incredible throwback snap of Rob Brydon and Ruth Jones has emerged showing the Welsh actors playing the lead roles in Porthcawl Comprehensive School’s peformance of Carousel 

Comedian and actor Rob, now 59, teamed up with Ruth for the 2009 Comic Relief charity single, (Barry) Islands In The Stream, a cheeky parody of the Bee Gees-written hit

They soared to number one in the charts 15 years ago with a humorous rendition of the song while dressed as their Gavin and Stacey characters

Rob and Ruth’s friendship dates back more than four decades, with the pair first becoming friends aged 14 when at school in Wales.

Speaking about how they first met, Rob told ITV’s Lorraine: ‘I first got into musical theatre at school in the late ’70s, early ’80s, which is where I met Ruth Jones.

‘So, I’ve known her since I was a teenager, and we were in the school musicals together.’

Referring to a throwback pH๏τo, the comedian added: ‘That’s Carousel, and I’m wearing my uncle’s stack-heeled boots to give me some kind of height advantage.

‘That’s Ruth there on the left, we also did Guys & Dolls.’

It was a friendship that no doubt helped Rob land his role in Gavin & Stacey, with Ruth previously telling British Comedy Guide that he quickly came to mind once she started writing Bryn’s role.

The minute he read the first two episodes, he rang Ruth and said: ‘I really, really want to do it. I know exactly who he is; I know exactly what he wears; how he walks; how he speaks.’

Earlier this year, Rob once again discussed his closeness to Ruth, telling the Guardian: ‘I love Ruth, you know.

‘She’s still my closest female friend and the closest thing I have to a sister. Shooting the final special with her was such an emotional thing.’  

Rob and Ruth’s friendship dates back more than four decades, with the pair first becoming friends aged 14 when at school in Wales

Earlier this year, Rob once again discussed his closeness to Ruth, telling the Guardian: ‘I love Ruth, you know’

Comedian and actor Rob, now 59, teamed up with Ruth for the 2009 Comic Relief charity single, (Barry) Islands In The Stream, a cheeky parody of the Bee Gees-written hit which Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton took to number one in 1983.

The name of the song was a nod to Gavin and Stacey’s setting, Barry in South Wales.

The cult sitcom, written by Ruth and James Corden, returned for a wildly successful Christmas special in 2024 which brought in a whopping 12.3million viewers, clinching the festive ratings top spot.

And in the weeks that followed it gained a huge boost to its audience, reaching 20.9million viewers after 28 days – breaking its own record from the 2019 Christmas special of 18.5million viewers in the same time period. 

He added: ‘She’s still my closest female friend and the closest thing I have to a sister’ (pictured: the pair in the 2019 Christmas special)

The series, which debuted back in 2007, concluded with on/off lovers Neil ‘Smithy’ Smith and Nessa finally declaring their love for one another and tying the knot 

The sitcom brought in a whopping 12.3million viewers on Christmas Day, clinching the festive ratings top spot

Ruth and James added: ‘What a testament to the BBC to have achieved such impressive viewing figures on Christmas Day.

‘We are so proud to have been a part of it.’

Gavin and Stacey finally came to an end on Christmas Day with a feature-length festive finale, with fans quick to laud the ‘perfect’ conclusion, 17 years after the iconic BBC comedy first hit screens.

The series, which debuted back in 2007, concluded with on/off lovers Neil ‘Smithy’ Smith and Nessa finally declaring their love for one another and tying the knot, but not without a few hiccups along the way.

While fans tuned into the episode to see whether Smithy had accepted Nessa’s proposal from the 2019 Christmas Special, a five-year time jump revealed that he was indeed set to tie the knot, but all was not as it seemed.

It was revealed that Smithy had instead got engaged to his girlfriend Sonia, who failed to impress the Shipman/West clan when she met them in the last festive episode, with actress Laura Aikman’s return to the show kept a closely-guarded secret.

Fans were also treated to the surprise return of Sheridan Smith as Smithy’s sister Rudi, and Pam Ferris as his mum Cath.