We chatted to Joanna about her new BBC collection Shift the Thrift, her life off display, and how time has flown since filming the primary ever episode of Gavin and Stacey.
05:52, 25 Apr 2026
Joanna Page is taking over a brand new problem as she fronts a brand new BBC One collection known as Shift the Thrift.(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/One Tribe TV)
Since the finale of Gavin and Stacey aired on Christmas Day 2024, many members of the forged have taken on different initiatives and Joanna Page is not any completely different. The actress has written her debut ebook Lush, began a podcast and is at present starring in Channel 4’s Taskmaster.
She can also be fronting her personal BBC collection, Shift the Thrift, which champions Britain’s thriving charity store panorama and capitalises on the rising reputation of second-hand buying and on-line resale.
Throughout every instalment of the BBC collection, the actress will mentor two opponents as they seek for bargains in charity shops, present them with an imaginative transformation, and market them by energetic, live-streamed auctions.
The 12 episode collection was filmed in cities throughout the UK, together with six episodes which had been shot in Wales. For the most recent TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter
Joanna mentioned she loved engaged on the collection because it gave her the chance to be herself, relatively than a personality in an performing function. She mentioned: “It’s really really nice just getting to be me and you know not having to think about learning lines or being somebody else. I mean just getting to just be me and meet other people and do exciting different things.
“It’s actually good enjoyable, as a result of I imply I like performing however with presenting you by no means know who you are going to meet subsequent what you are gonna be doing it is all fairly impulsive. Doing Shift the Thrift we did not know what we might discover you recognize I used to be solely simply initially assembly the contestants and the consultants and we had no concept what was gonna occur. It’s been good enjoyable and I’ve liked presenting.”
When requested why she signed up for the collection, she mentioned: “I’ve all the time liked charity shops, I’ve all the time liked thrifting, I’ve all the time liked classic retro stuff earlier than it turned actually modern with all people wanting to buy in charity shops. When I used to be about 13, would simply be going and shopping for flares and platform footwear, something 70s, like granddad velvet jackets.
“We didn’t have loads of money so it was just like I want to see how much I can get with the amount of money that I’ve got and how to make myself look individual, get my own look, and that was a really easy way of doing it. So, it was just like a dream come true, I just thought this isn’t even like a job. This is basically what I like to do on my weekends it’s just really good fun.”
Joanna even shared her favorite spots for charity procuring, together with a hidden Welsh gem with streets of classic shops. She mentioned: “Bridgend was good because there was this one massive charity shop and it had everything under one roof so you had the furniture, you had clothing, you had all sorts of stuff. I mean that was amazing and also oh my god Aberystwyth, it was good.
“I’ve not been again to Aberystwyth since I used to be doing the National Youth Theatre of Wales there and for starters I imply the city is simply completely beautiful and you recognize so kind of like studenty and it felt so artistic. I imply you go round a nook and there’d be a great deal of completely different shops promoting classic stuff which weren’t like charity shops, nevertheless it’s so sort-of studenty, and classic, and artistic so it is simply beautiful anyway.
“But then the charity shops there are fantastic and we found this kind of emporium place where you went in and I mean it was like room after room after, and then loads of floors going upwards. You could just completely spend just one day in just that shop. So Aberystwyth was just gorgeous.”
The star who now lives in England with her husband and 4 youngsters, shared that she was thrilled to return to Wales to movie six episodes of Shift the Thrift. Joanna mentioned: “It was just so fab. When we were going around Bridgend, we had this group of teenage girls who basically followed us around the whole of Bridgend and it was so sweet, really, really lovely.
“It’s all the time simply good once I come again residence and all people else sounds the identical as I do, it is simply actually Welshy and it is so good. The persons are simply so beautiful and so pleasant. Everybody needs to speak and say you recognize ‘what is going on on right here’ and ‘what’s taking place’ and simply stand there and discuss to all people. So, it was fab coming residence to do some episodes.”
Despite moving on from Gavin and Stacey, the sitcom always follows her around. When filming Shift the Thrift, the actress said: “It was actually humorous strolling down the road and folks shouting ‘oh my god it is Stace, all proper Stace what’s occurrin’ and it was simply actually beautiful.”
When we pointed out that it’s been 20 years since they filmed the first ever series of Gavin and Stacey, Joanna couldn’t quite believe it.
She said: “It goes so quick. With Gavin and Stacey as properly, I feel as a result of it is all the time been there, it is all the time on the telly and I’m nonetheless in contact with all people. I’m working with Matt on our Table for Four podcast as properly. So it is simply all the time been in my life that you simply assume, ‘my God, it has been, oh my God. It’s been like about 20 years’.
“Is it 20 years? Oh my God! Oh my god. It has been about 20 because we started in 2006. Oh my god that’s mad, and it’s mad because we’re all still in touch. I’m still working with Matt, we’re you know we’re still friends but it’s just been a constant in my life so you just don’t realise just how fast time’s flown.
“It’s fairly good with Gavin and Stacey as a result of it is all the time on, I feel in folks’s minds I’m all the time going to be this younger 29-year-old Welsh woman and I’m fairly advantageous with that, that is all proper.”
Joanna not too long ago reunited with her Love Actually co-star on The One Show. She mentioned: “The different day once I noticed Martin Freeman for the primary time in about 20 years, we have not seen one another for ages, and I noticed him after we had been each on The One Show collectively.
“That was just so lovely, just reminiscing, catching up, talking about filming, saying I can’t believe how small and young we looked. I mean, we were just absolutely tiny, and now look at us now. I mean, it was just really funny.”
The actress, presenter and writer can also be a mom to 4 youngsters who shares with Emmerdale’s James Thornton. We requested Joanna, simply how does she handle to stability all the things.
She mentioned: “Oh my gosh, it’s absolutely exhausting. They’ve only just gone back to school today from the Easter holidays, and oh my gosh it is exhausting. I just have to learn to try and just let things go and not try and control everything. As long as everybody is in bed at a decent time- which they never are they’re normally running up and down the landing like 11 o’clock at night- but as long as everyone is fed, everyone gets into bed, everybody has a bath every now and then, we’re kind of alright. I just have to throw myself into it and just think it’s not gonna last forever
“I’ve tried to be a bit stricter as properly, like refusing to work all weekends, as a result of the weekends are for the youngsters. I will not go away for longer than two weeks away from James, that is why I’m not doing any performs or any performing in the meanwhile, as a result of I am unable to go away for weeks on finish as a result of I simply wish to be right here for the youngsters.
“That’s why presenting has been brilliant because it really works around family life so much more. We’ve just got to enjoy it because life goes so fast and it’s constantly changing. Then me and James look at each other and go oh my gosh, in about 10 years time, this is all going to be over. It’s so intense and mad right now with the four of them, and you think that life is going to like this forever.”
You can stream all episodes of Shift the Thrift on BBC iPlayer.
