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The BBC has axed a sitcom that starred Ruth Jones and her Gavin and Stacey co-star in a brutal iPlayer content shake up.
Fans of Ruth, 58, came out in force over Christmas to watch the finale of the hit BBC sitcom.
Almost 20million viewers sat down to watch the show on Christmas Day, making it one of the BBC’s most-watched scripted dramas ever.
But viewers might be disappointed to find out that they won’t be able to get another Ruth Jones comedy fix for some time and can’t even re-watch one of her previous shows.
Almost 20 years before the finale aired, Ruth and her Gavin and Stacey co-star Julia Davis starred in the dark comedy Nighty Night, which aired on BBC Three.
The show, created by Julia, 58, who played Dawn Sutcliffe in the BBC sitcom, ran for two series between 2004 and 2005 and became an instant classic.
But the broadcaster has now quietly removed the show despite fan demand for more comedy gold from the sitcom geniuses.
The BBC confirmed that they had to remove the show, which was previously available as a box set, after licensing rights for the series ran out.
Nighty Night followed Julia’s character Jill as she navigated dating life after her husband Terry was diagnosed with cancer.
Convinced Terry would soon die, the salon owner doesn’t want to be left alone, and begins dating immediately, but things take a turn when Terry in fact starts to get better.
In a drastic course of action Julia then puts Terry into a hospice, but after a daring escape she is forced to lock him up in her basement.
The second series ends with the character fighting for his life against his bonkers wife.
Ruth Jones starred as Linda, Jill’s idiotic assistant who worked alongside her at the hair salon.
But it’s not all doom and gloom for Ruth Jones fans, after her and her writing partner James Corden, 46, revealed their plans for another TV show.
The duo wrote Gavin and Stacey together over 20 years and in an appearance last month on Heart Radio with Jason King and Emma Bunton he and Ruth revealed that another show could well be in the works.
Jason told them: ‘I hope to see you again soon! This is the finale!’
Emma chimed in: ‘Of course we will, they are always busy aren’t they, these two! Will you write something else together?’
James confirmed: ‘We’d like to,’ as Ruth gave the presenters a smile.
Jason asked: ‘Should we leave it at that?’
Emma fumed: ‘No! I want to know when. When you’re going to start writing!’
‘It might be a while, it might take us a while,’ James told them.
‘We got to find us a new idea, but we are definitely, definitely, going to give it a shot.’
