Ruth Jones made her screen debut in the 1996 period comedy film ‘Emma’ directed by Douglas McGrath. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics and grossed over $22.2 million on a $7 million budget. In 1998, she starred as ‘Becky’ in the British comedy-drama film ‘The Theory of Flight’ directed by Paul Greengrass. The film had its premiere at the 23rd Toronto International Film Festival and holds a 50% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The following year, she played the role of ‘Peggy’ in the Damien O'Donnell-directed British comedy-drama film ‘East Is East.’ The film earned praise from critics and was a major box office success, grossing over $30.4 million on a budget of $3 million. In 2000, she joined the main cast of the British drama series ‘Fat Friends’ as ‘Kelly Chadwick (née Simpson).’ The series ran for 4 seasons and aired its final episode in 2005. She next portrayed ‘Mandy’ in the 2002 Damien O'Donnell-directed film ‘Heartlands.’ The film received a 60% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In 2003, she became a part of the British sketch comedy series ‘Little Britain’ created by David Walliams and Matt Lucas. She played the role of ‘Myfanwy’ and remained a part of the show until 2006.
In 2004, she starred as ‘Linda’ in the BBC black comedy television sitcom ‘Nighty Night’ by Julia Davis. The series aired 12 episodes in a span of 2 seasons before going off-air in 2005. She continued to star in television series like ‘Born and Bred’ (2005), ‘I'm With Stupid’ (2005-2006), ‘Mayo’ (2006), and ‘Saxondale’ (2006-2007). In 2007, she came together with James Corden to create the British sitcom ‘Gavin & Stacey’ where she also played the role of ‘Vanessa Shanessa "Nessa" Jenkins.’ The show ran for 3 seasons and went off-air in 2010. Jones next starred in television series and shows such as ‘Little Dorrit’ (2008), ‘Tess of the D'Urbervilles’ (2008), ‘A Child's Christmases in Wales’ (2009), ‘The Street’ (2009), ‘The Great Outdoors’ (2010, 2020), ‘Hattie’ (2011), and ‘Stella’ (2012-2017). In 2018, she appeared in the comedy film ‘Nativity Rocks!’ directed by Debbie Isitt. The film was largely panned by critics and holds a 0% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
