The award-winning actress is releasing a charity album of the greatest poems.

National treasure Alison Steadman joins Ruth and Eamonn to talk about her latest project, Words For you, a charity album containing 27 poems backed by classical music and voiced by actors including Alison, Samantha Morton and Joanna.

Alison reads Friendship by Elizabeth Jennings, to Piano Concerto No 5 Mvt 2 by Beethoven. She says: "I was sent five poems and had to choose my favourite, I loved this one because it's about the friendship between two females."

All the artists involved waived their royalty so that a proportion of proceeds from sales of the album can go to I CAN, a UK charity that helps children who have difficulties speaking and understanding. 

The busy actress is also back with the third and final series of Gavin & Stacey. As Gavin (Mathew Horne) starts his new job, the move to Barry Island in Wales means big changes for the whole family.

In the new series Alison ventures to Barry Island: "She thinks it’s a fairground! It was great fun filming there, huge crowds of people gathered around to watch us film."

Alison never uses plastic bags and is very proud that last year she managed to do all her Christmas shopping without using a single plastic bag. Alison is fond of her I love Billericay bag which was sent to her as a present "I love it, it even featured in the new series of Gavin and Stacey and I use it all the time for my shopping."

Alison is upset that this is the last series of Gavin and Stacey: "We have all loved every minute of the show and we are all totally gutted the series has finished."

She explains:"At the end of filming it's traditional that the director shouts 'it's a wrap' after every scene and usually everyone claps, but when we were filming our final scenes for Gavin and Stacey and the director shouted 'it's a wrap' instead of clapping we all just burst into tears!"