Gavin and Stacey star Mathew Horne has reportedly suffered a head injury during his performance on the West End.
The 46-year-old actor is currently taking on the role of the magician Prospero in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
The incident took place just ten minutes into the performance on Tuesday night with the comedian quickly being rushed off stage.
The Sun reports that Mathew was rolling around the floor as part of the script when he hit his head on a rock. The show was temporarily paused before things resumed 15 minutes later.
Mathew is said to have had a visible mark on his face when it continued.
A member of the audience told the publication: “Mathew’s forehead had a big, red mark on it and it looked pretty painful, even from far away in the theatre.”
They added that he was “clearly in pain” and that his “forehead looked sore”. Applauding the actor’s efforts, the source said: “He was a real trooper to finish the show because it can’t have been comfortable.”
Mathew, who is best known for playing Gavin Shipman in the iconic BBC sitcom alongside Joanna Page as Stacey West, appeared for an early screening of the highly anticipated Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special, which will be the final ever episode of the comedy sketch, the following day.
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He left the event early due to theatre commitments before the post-episode Q&A took place.
The Gavin and Stacey Christmas special, written by the show creators James Corden and Ruth Jones, who play Smithy and Nessa, is set to be the most-watched show of the day as it makes it’s final return for the first time in five years.
The last time we saw the gang was during the 2019 Christmas Special which saw Nessa get down on one knee and propose to Smithy. After a five-year wait fans will finally find out what happens next and answers may also finally be provided on what really took place on that famous fishing trip.
While promoting the show, Matthew revealed he feels very protective of James, 46, telling The Times: “The root of all of the flak that he takes – and it’s beyond flak – is jealousy.
“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.”
The pair had rumours of a rift after joint career projects failed to take off in 2009 and speculation was further furled when James previously admitted they had drifted apart.
Gavin and Stacey: The Finale airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Christmas Day at 9pm.
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