Filming starts for new Ruth Jones and Steve Speirs comedy '35 years in the making'

Filming is under way on a new BBC comedy co-written by and starring Ruth Jones and Steve Speirs.

The six-part series, called Better Later, is being filmed in locations including Bannau Brycheiniog, also known as the Brecon Beacons, and is set in the fictional Welsh village of Brynfach.

The comedy follows two strangers who strike up an unlikely friendship after meeting at a knee trauma clinic.

Jones said the project had been "35 years in the making", while Speirs joked it "could be a long shoot" as Jones kept making him "giggle".

Jones and Speirs also wrote and starred in Stella, a series about life in a fictional valleys town which ran between 2012 and 2017.

Better Later follows retired teacher Clive, played by Speirs, and environmental health officer Shelley Anne, played by Jones.

Clive, 60, is adjusting to life after being widowed, while 55-year-old Shelley Anne is going through a bitter divorce.

Jones said: "In a funny way this show has been 35 years in the making, which is when I first met Steve.

"It's not that we're slow writers, it's just that we've been up to other things. It's fantastic to be back in front of the camera with him again."

Speirs added: "Our first time acting together for quite a long time, Ruth makes me laugh more than anyone and I'm a terrible giggler.

"This could be a long shoot."

Jones is best-known for her role as Nessa in Gavin & Stacey, while Speirs was behind The Tuckers, which focused on a south Wales family and aired between 2018 and 2022.

Last year, they appeared back on TV screens showing each other around their home towns, visiting the places that helped shape them.

An air date for Better Later has not yet been announced.