Rob Brydon, best known for his role in the British comedy series Gavin and Stacey, has expressed regret over a missed opportunity to meet country music legend Dolly Parton. During the BBC documentary series Honky Tonk Road Trip, Brydon traveled across the American South to celebrate the 100th anniversary of country music. During the trip, he visited Dollywood, a theme park founded by Parton, where her family traced their Welsh roots. Brydon was offered the chance to interview Parton after filming concluded, but he chose to remain on a family holiday in Arizona. He now wishes he had returned to meet her, as Parton passed away on 25 August after a brief illness. Parton, who was admitted to hospital four days before her death due to kidney and autoimmune issues, was a long-time advocate for children’s education and literacy. During an interview on BBC Radio Wales, Brydon was reminded of this by presenter Lucy Owen, who drew a connection between Brydon’s encouragement for children to read and Parton’s Imagination Library, a global initiative that sends free books to children from birth until they turn five. Brydon acknowledged the connection, calling it “a really lovely circle.” Brydon is set to publish his debut children’s book, The Cat in the Cupboard, on 10 September. Aimed at children aged five to seven, the story is inspired by tales he created for his own children about their ginger cat. The book is written entirely in rhyme and follows a cat named Crumble on his adventurous garden escapades. Brydon shared that the idea for the story came when the family had to move their cat flap, which led the cat to enter the house through a cupboard. He described the title as something that “just sounded nice.” The Welsh actor and comedian, who has five children ranging in age from 15 to 32, said his experience reading to them over the years influenced the book. He also mentioned that his writing was inspired by classic poetry, such as The Owl and the Pussycat. Brydon noted that he wanted to include challenging words like “irascible” to help children expand their vocabulary. He also praised his Gavin and Stacey co-stars Ruth Jones and James Corden for their creative partnership and expressed excitement about their new comedy project, The Choir. Brydon mentioned that the cast remains in touch through an active WhatsApp group, even if they are not all involved in the new project.