Gavin and Stacey star ‘taken off stage after head injury’-Josie Copson-Entertainment – Metro

The Gavin and Stacey Christmas special is coming in less than a week (Picture: Ian West/PA Wire)

Gavin and Stacey star Mathew Horne reportedly suffered a head injury during a performance on the West End.

The 46-year-old actor is currently playing comical character Prospero in The Tempest at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

After the incident, which occurred ten minutes into the performance on Tuesday evening, he was quickly taken off stage, claims The Sun.

They wrote that Mathew was rolling on the floor as part of the play when he hit his head on a rock. The performance was paused, but things then resumed after 15 minutes. When it continued, Mathew is said to have had a visible mark on his face.

‘Mathew’s forehead had a big, red mark on it and it looked pretty painful, even from far away in the theatre,’ an audience member told the publication.

They added that he was ‘clearly in pain’ and his ‘forehead looked sore’.

Mathew is starring in The Tempest through December (Picture: marcsbrenner)

The source summarised: ‘He was a real trooper to finish the show because it can’t have been comfortable.’

Mathew, who plays Gavin Shipman in the BBC sitcom alongside Joanna Page as Stacey West, appeared at an early screening for the highly anticipated final episode the following day. However, he left the event, which was attended by Metro, before the post-episode Q+A due to his commitments to the theatre.

Joanna and Matthew celebrated the finale (Picture: Ian West/PA Wire)

The Christmas special written by creators James Corden and Ruth Jones, who also play Smithy and Nessa, is expected to become the most-watched show of the day. The 2019 Christmas episode scored the highest overnight Christmas ratings in 12 years, attracting an average audience of 11.6 million viewers, making it the biggest festive special since Christmas Day 2008.

‘In Barry, Bryn’s packing the Picasso in readiness for a trip to Essex; Stacey and Gavin are looking for new ways to spice up their seventeen year marriage and Gwen is behaving most strangely. Nessa’s started a new business venture and Neil the Baby’s about to begin an apprenticeship with his dad,’ the synopsis has teased.

‘Over in Billericay Pam is stressing out at the prospect of playing hostess, not helped by a newly retired Mick practicing his golf swings in the living room and there have been more ups and downs in Pete and Dawn’s relationship.’

Gavin and Stacey will end on Christmas day after 17 years (Picture: BBC/Toffee International Ltd./Tom Jackson/PA Wire)

The last time we saw the gang, Nessa got down on one knee and proposed to Smithy, and after a five-year wait viewers will finally find out what happened next. Answers may also finally be provided on the fishing trip.

While promoting the show, Mathew has said he feels protective of James, 46. ‘The root of all of the flak that he takes – and it’s beyond flak – is jealousy,’ he said in an interview with The Times.

‘He is a phenomenally gifted actor and writer, and a brilliant working-class success story. So yeah, I am protective of him. But I think I’ve been silenced in discussing him because of this narrative that’s been imposed.’

There were rumours of a rift after joint career projects failed to take off in 2009, and were further fueled when James discussed their relationship and admitted they had drifted apart.

Metro contacted Mathew Horne’s representatives for comment.

Gavin and Stacey: The Finale airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Christmas Day at 9pm.

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