Ditching Barry Island for Liverpool, Ruth Jones could barely contain her excitement as she arrived at the northern city to film Netflix’s RunAway on Monday.

After starring in the final episode of Gavin and Stacey in December, the Welsh actress, 58, will now take on a new role for a Harlan Coben thriller.

And Ruth seemed excited to get filming this week as she was spotted sporting a huge smile and waving her hands excitedly.

For her scene, Ruth can be seen wearing a bright red cardigan, which she matched with her socks and layered under a green rain mac.

Showcasing her quirky socks, Ruth folded the bottoms of her dark blue denim jeans and slipped into a pair of practical white trainers.

To finish her practical ensemble, she accessorised with a silk red scarf and a pair of gold hoop earrings.

Ditching Barry Island for Liverpool, Ruth Jones, 58, could barely contain her excitement as she arrived at the northern city to film Netflix’s RunAway on Monday

After starring in the final episode of Gavin And Stacey in December, the Welsh actress, 58, will now take on a new role for a Harlan Coben thriller

The new twist-filled crime thriller is set to be another huge hit and will also star James Nesbitt, Minnie Driver, Alfred Enoch, Ellie de Lange and Lucian Msamati. 

The eight-episode series, based on the bestselling book, follows Simon (played by James Nesbitt) as he searches for his daughter Paige (Ellie de Lange).

Ruth will star as private investigator Elena Ravenscroft who is looking for a missing young man.

Harlan told Netflix’s Tudum: ‘Run Away is about family – about what we will do to keep our family intact, what secrets we keep within our family, and what secrets we keep as a family.’

He added: ‘Every time you walk past the house, there’s a whole universe that goes on behind that door and none of us have a clue what it is.’ 

Run Away comes following the success of Harlan’s thriller Fool Me Once in 2024, starring Michelle Keegan in a lead role.

The show became the most-watched series for the first half of the year, racking up an impressive 108 million views.

And Ruth seemed excited to get filming this week as she was spotted sporting a huge smile and waving her hands excitedly

For her scene, Ruth can be seen wearing a bright red cardigan, which she matched with her socks and layered under a green rain mac

Showcasing her quirky socks, Ruth folded the bottoms of her dark blue denim jeans and slipped into a pair of practical white trainers

It saw the British actress, 37, spot her presumed ᴅᴇᴀᴅ husband on a baby camera as her niece and nephew struggled to get to the bottom of the murder of their mother.

The drama, which aired in January 2024 to positive reviews, also starred Joanna Lumley and Richard Armitage.

More recently, Harlan’s mystery series Missing You filled Fool Me Once’s big boots after it was well-received by viewers following its release at the end of December.

The five-part series followed Missing Persons detective Kat Donovan (Rosalind Eleazar) who was shocked to see her ex fiancé Josh (Ashley Walters) on a dating app 11 years after he disappeared from her life without a trace.

Josh’s reappearance forced her to dive back into the mystery surrounding her father’s (Lenny Henry) murder and led her to uncover long-buried secrets from her past.

Run Away’s James and Fool Me Once actor Richard joined lead actress Rosalind in the cast which also included Steve Pemberton and Jessica Plummer.

Elsewhere, almost 20million viewers sat down to watch Gavin and Stacey on Christmas Day, making it one of the BBC’s most-watched scripted dramas ever. 

Viewers had been waiting for five years to learn the fate of the BBC sitcom’s beloved characters and see if Smithy had accepted Nessa’s proposal.

Elsewhere, almost 20million viewers sat down to watch Gavin and Stacey on Christmas Day, making it one of the BBC’s most-watched scripted dramas ever (Ruth pictured as Nessa)

The final episode was hailed ‘perfect’ by viewers, who were left in tears as the long-running show finally aired its last episode after 17 years.

The series, which debuted back in 2007 after being created by stars James Corden and Ruth , concluded with on/off lovers Smithy and Nessa finally declaring their love for one another and tying the knot, but not without a few hiccups along the way.

Despite ruling out a return to the series, James has said he wants to work with Ruth again.

He said: ‘We don’t know if we have another idea in us but I can honestly say that if we didn’t attempt to try and even explore the idea of writing together then I’d be so disappointed.’