Mathew Horne joked he was "worried" James Corden was struggling for work before the ‘Gavin & Stacey’ reunion.
The 41-year-old actor will reprising his role as Gavin Shipman for the BBC sitcom’s upcoming Christmas special, and he teased his former co-star – who created and wrote the show alongside Ruth Jones – about his huge success in the US as he revealed the moment he was asked about a comeback.
He’s quoted by RadioTimes.com as saying: "I first heard from Ruth, it was that asked me, and my initial reaction was relief.
"Because I just thought ‘Thank God James has got some work’. I was so worried about him that he just wouldn’t be able to eat.
"So my thoughts went out to him first and foremost. And then the nerves kicked in."
Since ‘Gavin & Stacey’ ended in 2010, James has gone on to become the host of the ‘Late Late Show’ in the US – a position he’s held since 2015 – alongside big screen roles in the likes of ‘Into The Woods’, ‘Peter Rabbit’, ‘Trolls’ and the upcoming ‘Cats’ movie.
Mathew – who has since appeared in the likes of ‘Bad Education’ and ‘Drunk History’ – admitted meeting up as a group and talking about the festive episode only added to the nerves, before their friendships shone through and everyone settled down.
He added: "[The cast] met up and talked for ages – made ourselves feel even more anxious.
"And then I think after day one of filming everything settled down because we realised that it was going to happen, and it was going to happen with all the love that it happened with before.
"I think that is one of the things that is so fantastic about the show… that all the actors love each other and are having a great time, I think that comes across on screen and I think that is epitomised in this [Christmas] episode as well."
Mathew Horne jokes James Corden needed the work with Gavin and Stacey special
