He was off stage for 15 minutes but then bravely continued
AS Gavin Shipman in the hit sitcom Gavin & Stacey, Mathew Horne is used to having a stick of rock from Barry Island.
But the actor had a run-in with a different kind of rock when he whacked his head on one during a West End show and was swiftly taken off stage.
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Mathew Horne whacked his head on a rock during a West End show and was swiftly taken off stage Credit: PA
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The special will be the final episode of the show, which first started in 2007 Credit: PA
He is currently starring in a production of The Tempest at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London but was just ten minutes into the performance when disaster struck on Tuesday night.
The show was halted after he hit his forehead on a rock on the stage during part of the play where he rolled on the floor.
He was off stage for 15 minutes but then bravely continued, despite a visible mark on his face.
One audience member told me: “Mathew’s forehead had a big, red mark on it and it looked pretty painful, even from far away in the theatre.
“He was clearly in pain so they stopped the show as a precautionary measure to give him a once-over.
“It was about 15 minutes before the cast eventually returned to the stage, including Mathew, but his forehead looked sore.
“He was a real trooper to finish the show because it can’t have been comfortable.”
Representatives for Mathew and the theatre production did not respond when approached for comment about the incident.
Thankfully, he was back out yesterday, when he attended a photocall for the Gavin & Stacey Christmas Day special, which will air on BBC One, although he was one of the only cast members to leave early before a Q&A with Press.
From special Royal treat to Gavin and Stacey finale & A-list star’s first ever telly show – our guide to best Xmas TV
However, speaking on the Table Manners podcast yesterday, he suggested there could be a spin-off involving his character and Nessa, played by the show’s co-writer Ruth Jones.
James said: “We don’t know if we have another idea in us.
“But I can honestly say that if we didn’t attempt to try and even explore the idea of writing together, then I’d be so disappointed.”
Ruth added: “I couldn’t bear it. I love being in the room with James, it’s so fun.”
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Gavin and Stacey’s Best Moments
With the news that the show is set to make an exciting return to screens, let’s take a look at some of the comedy programme’s biggest and best moments…
Smithy and Rudi’s American Boy rap – No one will ever forget when James Corden and Sheridan Smith rapped perfectly word for word the Kanye West and Estelle hit American Boy as they walked across the car park on the phone to Gavin.
Pam’s Vegetarian faux pas – Despite loving a cheesburger, Pam found herself caught up in a web of unexpected lies when she claimed to be Vegetarian. She is forced to keep up the secret throughout the entire show and uses hubby Mick to help her scoff meat. She is later rumbled when Stacey catches her in the act as she scoffs ham in the kitchen. Stacey says to her: “Is that ham, Pam!?… “I’ve seen you, Pam. A scotch egg here, a bit of bacon there, putting those regular sausages into the Linda McCartney box”.
THAT fishing trip – It remains one of the biggest mysteries in Gavin and Stacey history as to just exactly what did happen on the ill-fated fishing trip. Bryn appears to be hiding a secret as to an occurance between him and his nephew Jason which has left relations fractures. Ness’ on-off boyfriend, Dave, is the only other person to know the whole truth. Bryn did appear to allude to him and Jason lying together naked to keep warm as he said to Dave: “We’re going to have this out, once and for all, man to man, you may know what happened, David, but you don’t know why it happened! It was freezing cold, it was! And when you are that cold…”
Islands in the Stream – No one can ever forget the classic Karaoke performance of Islands in the Stream. Nessa and Bryn performed the track in front of all their nearest and dearest. It saw the whole pub burst into some line-dancing as they enjoyed a boozy night out.
The Xmas special proposal – In 2019, fans were left overjoyed when the show made a comeback but it ended on the ultimate cliffhanger. Nessa asked Smithy if she would marry him as she finally laid bare her feelings for him. Fans were gutted as the show then cut straight to the credits as they never found out just how Smithy answered. Will all be revealed in the brand new episode?
