Gavin & Stacey: Was there a feud between James Corden & Mathew Horne?

4 August 2019, 13:00 | Updated: 10 September 2019, 12:26

Was there a feud between Gavin & Stacey's James Corden & Mathew Horne? . Picture: Ian West/PA Archive/PA Images

As shooting takes place for the beloved sitcom's Christmas special, we delve into what happened between the once-inseparable comedy pair.

Gavin and Stacey have begun filming their Christmas special, with fans gathering to watch the likes of Ruth Jones shoot scenes in Barry Island, Wales.

The much-loved sitcom captured the hearts of the nation when it first aired in 2007, showcasing a couple's long-distance relationship across England and Wales.

But one of the most important relationships in the show was that of its creator James Corden, who played Neil "Smithy" Smith and Mathew Horne, who played the titular character of Gavin Shipman.

The fictional characters, who hailed from Billericay, Essex were completely inseparable, and throughout the shows three series, so were the pair in real life.

After the final Gavin & Stacey episode aired in 2010 on new year's day, the duo took part in a string of badly-received projects such as Horne & Corden and the 2009 film Lesbian Vampire Killers, before seeming to go their separate ways.

Mathew Horne has since become a star of the small screen and James Corden has gone on to Hollywood fame - becoming a Late Late Show host, a Tony Award presenter and of course the creator of Carpool Karaoke.

But was the split acrimonious or did they really just lose touch?

Was there ever a feud between James Corden and Mathew Horne?

Back in 2016, Mathew Horne told The Mirror about their rumoured conflict: "James remains a friend and never wasn’t a friend.

"We have remained friends ever since we met. We have done various bits of work together and now we are both off doing other things."

However, according The Mirror, the Agatha Raisin actor has recently talked about healing the distance between them, saying: "It's a relief for me and James that we didn’t need to do anything”.

What does James Corden have to say?

While it's clear the duo were never at loggerheads, James Corden's response to the distance between them feels far more raw than Thorne's.

Speaking on Piers Morgan's Life Stories, the Late Late Show star was asked about the end of his friendship with his co-star and appeared to get very emotional, especially when Piers told him Horne had declined to appear on the show.

"We had such an intense love for each other," he told Piers. "We were one person for a long time and we had the best time.

"And the truth is the things that were offered to us; the sketch show, the film, hosting the BRITs with Kylie Minogue... all these things... We just rushed into them."

He added: "You're riding this amazing wave and then when it stops, the people that you're anchored to are the people that have known you the longest, not the people who you've just met.

"And also once we'd decided not to make another series of our show, that was a very definite decision and we were like, 'we'll we're not going to be spending every day together.'

"I think we counted one year, we spent 265 days of the year together."

Watch a clip of the interview, courtesy of ITV:

James Corden Discusses the End of His Friendship With Matt Horne | Piers Morgan's Life Stories

Asked about the situation between himself and Horne now, he said: "Look I love him. [...] We talk occasionally."

When told by the broadcaster that Horne declined to take part in the show, Corden paused and said: "I didn't know that... but I can understand why."

He added: "I just hope one day we could do something together again."

So there you have it. While there's definitely a rawness there when it comes to the comedy duo, it doesn't seem there are any hard feelings when it comes to their relationship... but perhaps there are just a few regrets.

VIDEO: Gavin & Stacey's Ruth Jones controls crowd as Nessa during Christmas Special filming in Barry Island