Matthew Horne’s forgotten life in Nottingham

Matthew Horne is an actor who is most known for playing Gavin Shipman in BBC’s Gavin and Stacey

Did you know about Gavlar’s Nottingham roots?

Fans of the hit BBC series Gavin and Stacey have been sent into a frenzy after a report from the US claimed that plans for a Christmas special have already been approved by BBC bosses.

According to Deadline, filming for the new episode will take place this Summer - almost five years after the 2019 Christmas special.

However, Ruth Jones, who plays Nessa in the hit show, has dispelled those rumours saying if there was an update she and James [Corden] would "happily share it".

Fans were left on tenterhooks at the end of the 2019 special after Nessa proposed to Smithy on C hristmas Day.

Read more: Nottingham celebs

The episode was the UK's most-watched scripted TV programme of the 2010s, with 17.1 million viewers.

The show, which first aired in 2007, follows the lives of Essex boy Gavin, played by Mathew Horne, and Barry girl Stacey, played by Joanna Page.

Horne, who saw his career take-off after the first series of Gavin and Stacey, collaborated on several projects with co-star James Corden in the late 2000s.

But did you know that Horne is in fact a Nottingham boy at heart?

What are Mathew Horne’s Nottingham links?

Horne was born in Burton Joyce, a small village about seven miles east of Nottingham, on September 6, 1978.

As a young boy, Horne played as a goalkeeper for Notts County Juniors and had ambitions to become a professional footballer.

But in the end it was acting that Horne chose as a career after studying performing arts at Southwell Minster School.

Horne went on to earn a degree in drama from the University of Manchester.

In a 2013 interview with the Guardian, Horne spoke of his love for Nottingham.

He said: “I call Nottingham “the Rose of the Midlands”. It’s got plenty of arts, culture and history.

“There’s so much energy there and that comes, I think, from it being a university city.

“There are two universities in Nottingham, and the students really add to the atmosphere here.

“My parents still live there, and I go back there quite a lot. Going back to Nottingham always feels like I’m going back home.”

In 2019, Horne was given an honorary degree from Nottingham Trent University.

Gavin and Stacey star Matthew Horne’s forgotten life in Nottingham

What are Mathew Horne’s Nottingham links?