Ruth Jones set to star in new Harlan Coben Netflix thriller

Ruth Jones is set to star in a new Netflix thriller from Harlan Coben following the final ever episode of Gavin and Stacey. 

The actress, 58, who reprised her role as Nessa Jenkins for the Christmas special, will next work on the upcoming limited series, Run Away. 

Filming will kick off later this month in Manchester, with Ruth joining James Nesbitt, Minnie Driver, Alfred Enoch, and Lucian Msamati. 

The eight episode instalment, based on the bestselling book, follows Simon (played by James) as he searches for his daughter Paige (Ellie de Lange).

Ruth will star as private investigator Elena Ravenscroft who is looking for a missing young man. 

Harlan told Netflix's Tudum: 'Run Away is about family - about what we will do to keep our family intact, what secrets we keep within our family, and what secrets we keep as a family.'

He added: 'Every time you walk past the house, there’s a whole universe that goes on behind that door and none of us have a clue what it is.'

Run Away comes following the success of Harlan's 'captivating' new mystery series Missing You. 

The five-part series follows Missing Persons detective Kat Donovan (Rosalind Eleazar) who is shocked to see her ex fiancé Josh (Ashley Walters) on a dating app 11 years after he disappeared from her life without a trace. 

Josh's reappearance forces her to dive back into the mystery surrounding her father's (Lenny Henry) murder and leads her to uncover long-buried secrets from her past.

Other stars who joined the lead actress Rosalind in the cast include Ashley Walters as missing fiancé Josh, as well as Steve Pemberton, Richard Armitage, James Nesbitt and Jessica Plummer. 

With the last Harlan adaptation, Fool Me Once, becoming one of Netflix's biggest hits, Missing You had some big boots to fill and fans think it has done a pretty good job so far, with some staying in on New Year's day to finish it all. 

Taking to social media site, X, one wrote: 'It been a while since I saw good content on @netflix. #MissingYou is captivating.' 

A Harlan Coben fan said: 'Trust Harlan Coben to give you a series with many mysteries and storylines that will make you think like a detective. I suspect everyone in this show at this point. Also might finish the entire season either today or tomorrow.'

The official synopsis reads: 'Eleven years ago Detective Kat Donovan's fiancé Josh - the love of her life - disappeared and she's never heard from him since.

'Now, swiping profiles on a dating app, she suddenly sees his face and her world explodes all over again.

'Josh's reappearance will force her to dive back into the mystery surrounding her father's murder and uncover long-buried secrets from her past.'

The show is hot off the heels of the huge success of Michelle Keegan's Fool Me Once which became the most-watched series for the first half of the year, racking up an impressive 108 million views.