Gavin & Stacey's Ruth Jones gets award at Hay Festival
Actress and writer Ruth Jones has been awarded this year's Hay Festival medal for drama.
The Gavin and Stacey co-creator was honoured in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, where she was speaking about her new novel.
War Horse author Michael Morpurgo won the fiction medal, while British-Turkish novelist Elif Shafak won the medal for prose.
"We are honoured to celebrate three exceptional storytellers," said Hay Festival chief executive Julie Finch, who said the three winners had "each done much to push the boundaries of contemporary writing and spread the joy of stories here and around the world".
Jones, from Bridgend, writes about finding joy in unlikely connections in her new book, By Your Side.
Morpurgo is one of UK's best-known children's authors, writing more than150 books and serving as Children's Laureate.
Shafak's most recent novel, There Are Rivers in the Sky, is the story of three lives – in Victorian London, 2014 Turkey and 2018 London – connected by a single drop of water.
Postbox topper marks Gavin & Stacey festival talk
Why Ruth Jones accepted Nessa's Bafta in bare feet
Ruth Jones hints at new project with James Corden
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Prince Harry Spoke to Princess Diana's Brother About Changing His Last Name to Spencer & I'm Floored By the Prospect
When I first saw the headlines, I took it with a grain of salt: Over the weekend, The Mail on Sunday reported that Prince Harry spoke with his uncle, Charles Spencer, about the idea of dropping his royal last name of Mountbatten-Windsor in favor of using his late mother Princess Diana's surname, Spencer, instead. But could it really be true? As with many royal things, the sources felt spotty, but as more and more publications picked up the news, the gravity of the Duke of Sussex even considering a move like that hit me: The state of royal relations between father and son (and William) must be bleaker than we ever all, the move—which Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, is said to have talked Harry out of, according to the reports—would have also affected his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, who are currently sixth and seventh in line to the British throne. (For example, it would have changed Lilibet's name from Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor to Lilibet Diana Spencer.) It also would have read like a royal mic drop and a permanent and symbolic severing of any remaining familial get me wrong: We already know that the state of Harry's relationship, specifically with his father King Charles, is practically non-existent in the wake of the Duke of Sussex's battle for U.K.-based security, per his recent interview with the BBC. But the idea that he would adopt his mother's last name feels like a blow that would remove all associations with the House of Windsor, not to mention chart a path that he couldn't take back. (That said, to formally align his identity with Diana's would not only carry a great deal of meaning for Harry, it would make sense given how similarly their life trajectories inside—but especially outside of—the royal sphere seem to align.)As for Charles Spencer's role, reports state that the 9th Earl Spencer—who recently saw Harry during a rare visit to the U.K. to attend the funeral of his uncle, Robert Fellowes, last year—talked him out of it and told Harry that the legal challenges to a decision like that would be 'insurmountable.' (Both William and Harry are notably close with Diana's brother.) Of course, this isn't the only name change drama that's cropped up for the Sussexes as of late. When Meghan Markle's recent Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, first debuted, much was made about her revelation to actress Mindy Kaling about changing her last name to Sussex—a move that solidified her family's collective identity, even if it wasn't formalized. 'I love that that is something that Archie, Lili, H and I all have together. It means a lot to me,' she shared. To be clear, based on reports, it sounds like Harry was just putting feelers out. (It's also good to know he has someone like Charles Spencer to lean on in times like this.) But a move like that would be major—and, sadly, speaks volumes about where things currently stand. Prince Harry Just Gave a Rare (& Emotional) Interview About the Royal Family
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
‘Sick' King Charles Faces Devastating News Amid Reports He ‘Refused' Chemotherapy
King Charles' former confidant has passed away. The Monarch hired an honorable British man to be his secretary when he was the Prince of Wales, however the aide resigned shortly after given the job. One of King Charles' closest aides, Major General Sir Christopher Airy died on April 7, 2025. He became Charles' private secretary n 1990, and his then-wife, Princess Diana. He served for less than a year, and was reportedly a 'very bad fit' for the role, and operated 'completely on a different planet.' More from StyleCaster Prince William Just Took One of Charles' Remaining Jobs After Reports He's Becoming King 'Earlier Than Expected' King Charles Sends Telling Sign He'll Never Reconcile With Harry Amid Reports His Son Is Making His Final Years a 'Misery' 'He was not attuned to Charles' growing charitable interests and struggle to understand the differences between the prince's various organisations,' the insider told royal expert Valentine Low for her book Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown. They also added that Charles 'must have been miserable. We would all talk acronyms, all this charitable, voluntary sector, government stuff, and Christopher was completely lost.'The news comes after a royal aide disclosed a health update for King Charles. He is dealing 'incredibly well' with cancer, the anonymous aide told The Telegraph. 'The thing you learn about this illness is that you just manage it and that's what he does. Medical science has made incredible advances and I genuinely see no difference in him. As long as you just do what the doctors say, just live your life as normal as possible… that's exactly what he is doing.'They also revealed that the Monarch 'has dealt with his illness in a very human way, and the way he's engaging with the public at a very human level. I think we now have a clear idea of what the Carolean age looks like and what it stands for – now and hopefully for many years to come.' Another source said that Charles was experiencing the total opposite of that amid the news that Prince Harry revealed that his doesn't talk to him anymore. 'Charles is indeed a sick man, and he does have cancer,' an insider told NewsNationNow. 'He also refused chemotherapy and decided on a less invasive treatment. While Harry and his dad aren't speaking, Harry would be aware of all of this via back channels.' 'Life is precious. I don't know how much longer my father has,' the Duke of Sussex said in an interview with the BBC. 'He won't speak to me because of this security stuff, but it would be nice to reconcile.' He also added that his father should be open to reconciliation and help solve his security problem. 'There is a lot of control and ability in my father's hands,' he said. 'Ultimately, this whole thing could be resolved through him. Not necessarily by intervening, but by stepping aside, allowing the experts do what is necessary.' Best of StyleCaster The 26 Best Romantic Comedies to Watch if You Want to Know What Love Feels Like These 'Bachelor' Secrets & Rules Prove What Happens Behind the Scenes Is So Much Juicier BTS's 7 Members Were Discovered in the Most Unconventional Ways
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Feel the love? JoJo Siwa and Chris Hughes of 'Celebrity Big Brother' are 'head over heels'
JoJo Siwa and Chris Hughes are a real couple-couple, not merely platonic "soulmates," the former "Dance Moms" star says. "It's not platonic anymore," the 22-year-old told the Guardian in an interview published Monday, "and it's been a beautiful development, a beautiful connection, and I'm absolutely head over heels for him and he's the same way.' Read more: Internet star JoJo Siwa sends a message to curious fans: "Best. Gay. Cousin. Ever." She said she had a feeling that her recent stint on the U.K. version of "Celebrity Big Brother" would be transformative. 'Little did I know it was going to change my personal life so much," she told the outlet. "By a landslide, it is the best thing that's ever happened to me.' The breakout "Dance Moms" personality met the 32-year-old British "Love Island" veteran on Season 24 of the reality competition, which aired in April. Hughes stepped up to support Siwa after fellow celebrity Mickey Rourke asked her on camera early on whether she liked boys or girls and said that he would "vote the lesbian out real quick." Rourke later told Siwa on 'Big Brother' that it took him '23 years of therapy to get almost normal' and the two appeared to become sort of friends before Big Brother sent the actor home. Siwa told the Guardian that Rourke had explained to her in private that he knew what he was doing and had been trying to get under her skin. Siwa came out in 2021 at age 17 wearing a black tee emblazoned with the words 'BEST. GAY. COUSIN. EVER." A day later, she sort of clarified which "label" she identified with by saying essentially that she didn't know yet. Read more: Bella Thorne accuses Mickey Rourke of 'GROSS' behavior on set after his offensive behavior on TV 'The reason why I'm not ready to say this answer is because I don't really know this answer,' the dancer and singer said in an Instagram Live, according to Autostraddle. 'I think humans are awesome. I think humans are really incredible people. I, right now, am super duper happy and I want to share everything with the world, I really do, but I also want to keep things in my life private until they're ready to be public.' When she went into the "Celebrity Big Brother" house, Siwa was in a relationship with Kath Ebbs, who identifies as nonbinary. During the run of the show, Siwa told a few members of the group that she was "not comfortable" putting a label on herself "because I'm not sure" what it would be. Days later, she said, 'I think I've always told myself I'm a lesbian. But I think being here, I've realized, 'Oh no, I'm not a lesbian. I'm queer.' And I think that's really cool.' She then announced, 'I'm switching letters! F— the L — I'm going to the Q. That's what I love about sexuality.' Ebbs eventually flew to the U.K. for the show's wrap party, only to get dumped by Siwa at said party. Read more: Making their bows on 'DWTS': Jojo Siwa and the show's first same-sex pairing 'Everything we sort of saw unfold on what I thought was a fake reality show where I didn't need to worry about the validity of my relationship was in fact laced in a lot of truth,' Ebbs said, per Autostraddle, 'Which has been one of the most craziest intense awful horrific experiences I've gone through in my adult life.' Later in May, Ebbs seemed like she was still rattled, posting a gallery on social media with quotes including " 'are u ok' yea but can we change the topic before i cry " and "so far 2025 feels like being awake during surgery." Meanwhile, thanks to Hughes, Siwa told the Guardian that "the happiness in my life just radiates off of me right now. Literally yesterday, I was massaging my cheeks; I've never [before] been in pain from smiling so much.' (As fans might remember, she actually said her face hurt from smiling so much way back in 2021, after coming out, during the interview where she clarified her no-label status.) As for Hughes, a week ago, he posted a gallery of photos on Instagram that included numerous shots of himself and Siwa together, all booed up and looking boyfriendy-girlfriendy. That plus a shot of a bowl of SpaghettiOs. "The previous 7 days have been the prettiest," his caption said. Sign up for Screen Gab, a free newsletter about the TV and movies everyone's talking about from the L.A. Times. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
