TV & Radio

Hi-de-Hi! sitcom star Ruth Madoc dies aged 79

Actor died in hospital following surgery for a fall she had earlier in the week, says agent

Ruth Madoc became a household name playing chief yellowcoat Gladys Pugh. Photograph: PA

Sat Dec 10 2022 - 14:35

Star of the screen and stage Ruth Madoc, best known for appearing in BBC sitcom Hi-de-Hi!, has died at the age of 79 following a fall, her agent has confirmed.

The actor became a household name playing chief yellowcoat Gladys Pugh in BBC One’s TV series about a holiday camp in the late 1950s.

Her career also spanned an array of roles in theatre and musicals, from Fiddler on the Roof to Gypsy.

In a statement, Phil Belfield of talent agency Belfield & Ward, said: “It is with much sadness that we have to announce the death of our dear and much-loved client Ruth Madoc.

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“Ruth passed away on the afternoon of Friday December 9 while in hospital following surgery for a fall she had earlier in the week, which had led her to have to withdraw from panto in Torquay.”

“A real legend of the British entertainment scene she was one of a kind and a unique talent loved by many. She is gone far too soon. Our hearts are broken!

“Thoughts are with her daughter Lowri, her son Rhys and all of her family.”

Actor and writer Tony Robinson (76) tweeted: “So sad to hear my lovely friend Ruth Madoc has passed.

“She was not only funny and highly intelligent, she was smart, kindly, a loyal trade unionist, and wore her heart on the left. She’ll be much missed.”

Meanwhile broadcaster Gyles Brandreth has remembered Madoc for being a “wonderfully gifted actress”.

The former MP, who is now a writer and reporter on BBC’s The One Show, said on Twitter: “This is such sad news. Ruth was a very lovely person.

“I was lucky enough to get to know her through my best friend from school, Simon Cadell. In Hi-De-Hi they were irresistible. RIP Ruth Madoc & thanks for the memories. Goodbye campers!”

Her death comes following a fall which led her to withdraw from performing in the pantomime Aladdin at the Princess Theatre in Torquay, Devon, England.

Born in April 1943 and brought up in Llansamlet near Swansea, Madoc trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada) before her breakout role playing Fruma Sarah in the film version of the musical Fiddler on the Roof in 1971.

A decade later she appeared on our screens in fan-favourite sitcom Hi-de-Hi!, having had other roles including Mrs Dai Bread Two in 1972 comedy film Under Milk Wood and later playing Daffyd Thomas’s mother in Little Britain.

She is survived by her two children. – PA

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