Ruth Jones is up for playing the lead character in her fourth novel on screen
Ruth Jones is up for playing the lead character in her fourth novel on screen
The 58-year-old actress released By Your Side in May, which tells the story of a divorced, plus-sized Scottish woman called Linda
Ruth Jones
(Image: ITV )
Ruth Jones would play the lead character in her fourth novel if it was made into a TV show.
The 58-year-old actress released By Your Side in May, which tells the story of a divorced, plus-sized Scottish woman called Linda Standish, who is in her fifties and works at the Unclaimed Heirs Unit to track down family members when their loved ones die without a will.
One of Linda's cases sees her investigate the sudden death of Welshman Levi Norman, who lived on a remote island before his passing.
Even though Ruth is Welsh, she is still up for playing Linda.
She told The Sun newspaper's TV Biz column: "This book, people have talked a bit more about a screen adaptation.
"A lot of people and early readers have said to me, 'Who would you get to play these characters like Linda?'.
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"I'm in my fifties, and I'm a plus-size woman but admittedly I am not Scottish!"
Ruth recently admitted she and Linda have a lot in common.
The Sunday Times bestselling author said: "Linda Standish is a mystery solver with a difference.
"She tracks down people who have died who haven't left a next of kin.
"It is quite an uplifting story.
"There is quite a lot of me in Linda. I've written it as a character monologue."
Ruth co-wrote the BBC One sitcom Gavin and Stacey with James Corden from 2007 until 2024, and she hopes the pair can work on a new project in the future.
She said: "I love working with James Corden, I really do, and I hope that we will carry on working together.
"I think we will. We will, because we just both, like, sort of sitting in a room together. We do a lot of napping, but we do write as well when we get going and, yeah, I just love working with him."
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The comedienne won Best Female Performance in a Comedy at the BAFTA TV Awards on May 11, and she considers her gong to be the perfect way to say goodbye to her alter ego Vanessa "Nessa" Jenkins.
Ruth said: "I've had a 17-year journey with this character, which is quite a rare thing, I guess, and to have worked with the people that I've worked with on the show over this period of time, cast, the crew, the production team, you know, everybody's just been such a joy to work with.
"But I think it's just been a really lovely rounding up of this astonishing nearly 20 years and working with James."
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