Ruth Madoc | |
|---|---|
 Madoc as Gladys Pugh inHi-de-Hi! | |
| Born | Margaret Ruth Llewellyn Baker (1943-04-16)16 April 1943 Norwich, Norfolk, England |
| Died | 9 December 2022(2022-12-09) (aged 79) Torquay, Devon, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1959–2022 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
Ruth Madoc (bornMargaret Ruth Llewellyn Baker; 16 April 1943 – 9 December 2022) was a British actress who had a career on stage and screen spanning over 60 years. She was best known for her role as Gladys Pugh in theBBC television comedyHi-de-Hi! (1980–1988), for which she received a BAFTA TV award nomination forBest Light Entertainment Performance.
Madoc was born Margaret Ruth Llewellyn Baker on 16 April 1943 inNorwich,[1] daughter of George Baker and Iris (née Williams), who worked in healthcare, her father as an administrator and her mother as a nurse. They ran a "poor law" institution for people with severe learning difficulties.[2] Her parents travelled around Britain for much of her childhood, and she was brought up by her Welsh grandmother Etta Williams and her English grandfather[3] atLlansamlet inSwansea.[4][5]
She later trained at theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London.[6]
In 1971, Madoc played Fruma Sarah in the film version of the musicalFiddler on the Roof, and in 1972 she appeared as Mrs Dai Bread Two in the film version ofUnder Milk Wood.[7] She appeared regularly in the entertainment programmePoems and Pints on BBC Wales. She provided one of the alien voices in theCadbury's Smash commercials in the 1970s, and made a brief appearance in the 1977 filmThe Prince and the Pauper (akaCrossed Swords).[8]
Madoc appeared in many theatre productions, including the stage version ofUnder Milk Wood,Steel Magnolias,Agatha Christie thrillers (And Then There Were None), the musicalAnnie, and many pantomime parts.[9] She appeared twice at theRoyal Variety Performance, once in 1982 and again in 1986.[10]
Madoc was best known for her portrayal of Gladys Pugh, one of the lead roles in the television sitcomHi-de-Hi! (1980-1988), for which she received aBAFTA TV award nomination for Best Light Entertainment Performance. The comedy was set in the fictional 1950sholiday camp Maplins. Madoc's recurring role centred on her unrequited love for the camp entertainment manager Professor Jeffrey Fairbrother (Simon Cadell), and she was notable for her announcements on the camptannoy with her signature three notes played on a mini xylophone.[11]
In 2004 she appeared in the reality television programmeCariad@Iaith onS4C, in which celebrities went on an intensive course in theWelsh language.[12] In 2005 she appeared as Daffyd Thomas's mother in the second series of BBC sketch showLittle Britain.[4]
In 2007 Madoc appeared in the fourth series ofLivingTV reality showI'm Famous and Frightened! which she went on to win.[13] Also in 2007 she appeared as a fictional version of herself in episode 2 of theBBC Radio 2 comedyBuy Me Up TV.[citation needed]
In 2008 she appeared at the Pavilion Theatre inRhyl, playing the bad fairy in thepantomimeSleeping Beauty, withSonia and Rebecca Trehearn.[14]
Madoc returned tosituation comedy in 2009 and appeared inBig Top onBBC1, alongsideAmanda Holden,John Thomson andTony Robinson.[4]
In January 2015, Madoc appeared as the fairy godmother in thepantomimeCinderella at thePalace Theatre, Mansfield.[15]
In September 2019 she re-joined the cast in the autumn tour ofCalendar Girls: The Musical, after recovering from an injury earlier in the year; the show opened at Bournemouth Pavilion on 17 September and ended on 23 November atChichester Festival Theatre.[16]
In 1984, Madoc was the subject ofThis Is Your Life when she was surprised byEamonn Andrews. In 1993 she played Mrs Bardell inPickwick at theChichester Festival Theatre.[17]
Madoc was awarded an honorary degree bySwansea University in July 2006.[18]
In 2010, Madoc investigated her family history for theBBC Wales programmeComing Home and learned that she was a distant cousin of British Prime MinisterDavid Lloyd George[19] on her father's side. She had starred inThe Life and Times of David Lloyd George in 1981.[2]
Madoc's first husband was the actorPhilip Madoc, with whom she appeared in the 1981 TV serialThe Life and Times of David Lloyd George. They had a son and a daughter, and were married for 20 years, but divorced in 1981.[20]
In 1982, she married her second husband, John Jackson, with whom she bought a home inGlynneath in 2002. They were married until his death in September 2021.[21]
In December 2022, Madoc was set to appear in the pantomimeAladdin at thePrincess Theatre, Torquay. However, on 8 December, a statement posted to Madoc'sInstagram account confirmed she had suffered a fall earlier in the week and was unable to appear in the production. After undergoing surgery, Madoc died the following day, 9 December, in hospital, at the age of 79.[22][23][24]
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973–1976 | Hunter's Walk | Betty Smith | [25][26] |
| 1980–1988 | Hi-de-Hi! | Gladys Pugh/Dempster | |
| 1981 | The Life and Times of David Lloyd George | Lizzie Davies | |
| 1986 | The Adventure Game | Herself | |
| 1997 | The Pale Horse | Sybil Stamfordis | |
| 2004 | Mine All Mine | Myrtle Jones | |
| 2005 | Little Britain | Daffyd Thomas's Mother | |
| 2009 | Big Top | Georgie | |
| 2014 | Doctors | Alice Swanson | |
| 2015 | Benidorm | Rhiannon | |
| 2015 | Get Your Act Together | Contestant | |
| 2015 | Tinga Tinga Tales | Whale | |
| 2016 | Stella | Mayor Mary Meyer | |
| 2016 | Casualty | Bev Whipsnade-Partridge | |
| 2018 | Doctors | Jean March | |
| 2019 | Casualty | Millie Falconer | |
| 2022 | The Tuckers | Alice | |
| 2023 | Beyond Paradise | Rosie Colbert |
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Fiddler on the Roof | Fruma Sarah | [27] |
| 1972 | Under Milk Wood | Mrs Dai Bread Two | [27] |
| 1977 | The Prince and the Pauper | Moll | [27] |
| 2001 | Very Annie Mary | Mrs Ifans | [27] |
| 2002 | Journey Man | Constance | [27] |
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