Sir Tom Jones is set to play James Corden 's next door neighbour in a new upcoming sitcom. Entitled Mammals, it sees the Pontypridd singing legend join the Gavin & Stacey star in a six-part series which tells of a dysfunctional chef trying to escape his chaotic personal life at a holiday retreat on the Cornish coast.
Corden will take on the lead role - ironic given the recent stories about him being banned from a New York eatery for behaving badly - while Sir Tom will inexplicably play himself in a cameo role. Golden Globe-winning actress Sally Hawkins also features in the cast.
Not much else is known about how much screen time Jones will get, but it's not the first example of him swapping singing for acting. For decades he's been popping up on screen in various TV shows and films - from comedy sci-fi blockbuster Mars Attacks to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the show that launched the career of Will Smith.
READ MORE: The Voice UK: Tom Jones close to tears after performing song dedicated to his late wife
However, the Voice of the Valleys is no stranger to a bit of serious acting either. In 2012 he appeared alongside Corden's fellow Gavin & Stacey alumni Alison Steadman in a one-off drama called King Of The Teds, in which he played a depressed ex-factory worker who'd once been a top Teddy Boy in this youth.
Trapped in an unhappy marriage and decked out in a frumpy cardigan and slippers, he suddenly finds his life turned upside down when an old flame reappears on the scene. The half-hour episode, also starring Brenda Blethyn, earned Jones rave reviews - not least from its executive producer and QI host Sandi Toksvig, who was blown away by Jones' down-to-Earth approach on set.
"Tom was a charm bucket," she told WalesOnline. "He'd be sat on the catering bus with everyone else, tucking into his cottage pie and having a laugh during breaks.
"It was quite something watching him walking up the nearby lane on the way to the set each morning in his wellies. It was great, even after all this time in the business, to watch him trying to learn new things and push himself."
Mammals is available on Amazon Prime Video from November 11.
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