Gavin & Stacey icon Ruth Jones reveals the “serious” firearms training she had to undertake for Run Away role

Most people recognize Ruth Jones from the hit show Gavin and Stacey, which she co-created and starred in. Now, she’s tackling a more dramatic part as Elena Ravenscroft in the Netflix series, Run Away.

Elena, a private investigator, is hired by a rich man to find his son. Her investigation leads her to Simon Greene, played by James Nesbitt, who is also frantically searching for his missing daughter.

Because Elena’s character used to be a police officer trained in firearms, the show ‘Run Away’ includes scenes where the actor, Jones, learns how to handle a gun for the part.

“I’d be lying if I said that it didn’t make me feel like a little bit kind of powerful onscreen.”

In a recent interview, Jones described a flashback scene in the series featuring a gunfight in an old factory. Elena is shown as a firearms officer during this scene, and Jones said filming it was a lot of fun. It involved a large warehouse set filled with crates used for cover during the shootout.

I was amazed by the huge number of people needed to create that scene. I also learned about ‘squibs’ – small, controlled explosions used to simulate gunfire and ricochets. Since I’d never handled a firearm before, I had to be shown how to safely use a gun loaded with blanks. They’re surprisingly loud!

Run Away stars Jones alongside Nesbitt, and also features Minnie Driver, Ellie de Lange (known for Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light), Alfred Enoch (from The Couple Next Door), Lucian Msamati (Gangs of London), Jon Pointing (Big Boys), Tracy Ann-Oberman (Code 404), Annette Badland (Ted Lasso), Finty Williams (The A List), Joe McGann (Kaos), and Ingrid Oliver (Sweetpea).

The movie Run Away centers around Simon, a man who seemed to have it all – a happy family, a good career, and a comfortable home. However, his world crumbles when his teenage daughter, Paige, runs away. The story follows Simon as he desperately searches for her, and finally finds her in a vulnerable state, struggling with drug use, giving him the chance to bring her back home.

However, she discovers she’s not the only one facing this issue, and a disagreement quickly turns frighteningly violent. Afterwards, Simon feels like he’s lost his daughter all over again, and his desperate attempt to find her leads him into a shadowy and perilous world, uncovering hidden truths that threaten to destroy his family.

Want to see this content?

We can’t display this content because of a security check from Google reCAPTCHA. To see it, please sign out of your Contentpass account.

Read our guide to the best Christmas TV for 2025.

The new series, Run Away, will debut on Netflix on January 1st, 2026. A Netflix subscription starts at just £5.99 per month, and you can also watch on Sky Glass or Virgin Media.

Don’t miss out! Add “Run Away” to your watchlist on the TopMob: What to Watch app. Download it today for daily TV recommendations and exclusive content.

Authors

Morgan CormackDrama Writer

Morgan Cormack writes about TV and streaming drama for TopMob. Before that, she was an Entertainment Writer at Stylist. She also has experience in content marketing and freelancing, and holds a BA degree in English Literature.

  • Visit us on Twitter

Read More

2025-12-29 12:34