International Women's Day Series ~ The Late, Great Ruth Madoc

 

Ruth as the much-loved Gladys Pugh in Hi-De-Hi!

I don't know of many 4 year olds who sported a yellow cardigan, whipped out their Fisher Price xylophone and sat cross-legged in front of the television whenever the opening chords of the Hi-De-Hi! theme tune rang out across the living room. I'd be very excited to meet some like-minded Gladys wannabes actually, I'm guessing you'd be in your mid to late forties now! If I'm describing a typical evening from your early years then 'Hi-De-Hi!' to you *ding ding ding*. 

Yes folks, when I grew up I wanted to be Gladys Pugh, then I wanted to be Ruth Madoc, then I just wanted to meet Ruth Madoc and write scripts for her. My mom successfully sent for a signed photo from Ruth and subsequently created a monster! Meanwhile, my poor dad tried hard to help me to meet my idol. We went on our holidays to Jersey quite often and on one such holiday, when I was approximately 10 years old, Ruth just happened to be appearing on stage at the Jersey Opera House. I had no idea until we arrived at the theatre to book tickets for a performance of 'Find The Lady' later in the week. I wholly expect I spent the rest of that week being an absolute pain in the backside until the evening of the performance we had tickets for arrived. It was the second time I had seen Ruth on stage (I had seen her in 'Babes In The Wood' when I was 6 years of age and I am fairly sure my mom regretted the decision to take me!) and I was living my best life. Dad had sneakily disappeared to the stage door at some point during the evening to ask if I could meet Ruth. It didn't exactly go to plan though as once I was informed of the surprise, I immediately felt bilious and shot off as fast as my legs would carry me. 

Enough of me, back to Ruth - what an icon she was, I don't know what I was attracted to at the tender age of 4, but I do know that I was completely emotionally invested in the character. In fact in the final series where Gladys sinks in the quick sand and chokes on a cherry in a drink, I can vividly recall feeling distraught. I don't know about you, but I was absolutely over the moon when she finally married Clive (David Griffin) and cried buckets during the final ever 'goodnight campers'. One thing was for sure, Ruth was firmly cemented as one of my favourites. 

Following the production of 'Find The Lady' at the Jersey Opera House, after which I had berated myself for not taking the opportunity handed to me on a plate, I saw her in theatre a number of times. Memorable roles being in 'Pickwick', '42nd Street', 'Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced' and 'Calendar Girls'. Ruth was as engaging a stage actress as she was on telly and I loved her energy. Oozing glamour, with a power house singing voice and a palpable warmth. 

As pantomime performers go she's up there with my top favourites. I've never forgotten her performance as Fairy Godmother in Cinderella in Blackpool which I watched when I was in my twenties. I was in the throes of travelling far and wide to see the top actors and actresses on my list appear on stage. She looked like she was having a ball (pardon the pun) and given the fact that we are going back a good 20+ years, it only goes to show how much of an impact just that one pantomime made on me. 

Ruth as Daffyd Thomas's (Matt Lucas) Mother in Little Britain

When Ruth appeared in Little Britain I could not believe my eyes! She really was game for anything and what a fab'las appearance it was, who better to play the only gay in the village's mother than Ruth Madoc. It was inspired casting and I think it not only showed her versatility as an actress, but also kept her 'current' for want of a better word. I know not everyone will agree with me as the series was controversial, however I thoroughly enjoyed that sketch. 

The last productions I saw Ruth appear in live on stage were The Wedding Singer at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre and Cinderella at Malvern Theatres. She was sensational, such a presence and clearly in her element. Over the years I collated some lovely letters from her in response to my fan mail and in case you're wondering - I did have the pleasure of meeting her. I hung up my running shoes and managed to stay and chat to her on three different occasions. I can remember the very first time we met, in the foyer of The Lowry Theatre, Salford, she wanted to introduce me to her husband , John. This was because she had read my letters out to him, I probably resembled a belisha beacon upon hearing that. Every time I met her she was warm, welcoming and amused by my fan-girling! Ruth is definitely much missed and left a lasting impression on me. 

Photo Credit: Darren Ball

Ruth's screen credits are listed here: IMDB Page 

Other photo credits: BBC