Grange Hill actress Gweyneth Powell dies aged 76 from complications following after surgery

12 September 2022, 18:55

ACTRESS Gwyneth Powell, who appeared in the BBC series Grange Hill, has died at the age of 76, her agent has said.

The Manchester-born actress starred in Grange Hill for a decade from 1981 as stern-but-fair headmistress Mrs McClusky.

More recently, she played Greg Davies mother in his Channel 4 sitcom Man Down, and has also appeared in Holby City, A Touch Of Frost and Heartbeat.

Her agent Matthew Lacey said she had died of "complications following a major operation" and had "passed away peacefully" with her husband, actor Alan Leith and her niece at her bedside last Thursday.

He added: "Gwyneth will be greatly missed by her adoring family and friends along with her many fans from multiple TV appearances."

The actress first trained as a teacher before throwing herself into repertory theatre in the late 1960s.

Her first television role was in the 1971 London Weekend Television drama series The Guardians.

The actress had spoken of how the first TV job opportunity was "lucky because I'd just got married".

Speaking to Grange Hill podcast Sausage On A Fork, she said: "We'd bought a house but we had no way of paying the first month's mortgage, or indeed buying a wedding ring,"

"I wore my mother's wedding ring to our wedding... And then I got The Guardians and we were secure."

During the 1970s, Ms Powell bagged recurring roles on TV shows like Z Cars, Dixon of Dock Green and Emmerdale, before her career took off after being cast in Grange Hill.

The teen soap opera revolved around life in an inner city comprehensive school.

In 2008, the actress reflected on her time in the role saying: "At first, Mrs McClusky was written as a 'twin set and pearls' role, but I was quite young at the time and didn't want to play it like that,"

"We started with the clothes and she was quite fashion conscious and chic. I was told by lots of people she was a great fillip to young women teachers who started applying for headships. The show had repercussions in all kinds of ways, and the character did too.

"My period did coincide with the Thatcher years. I think Mrs McClusky became memorable because we had a prime minister like that."

Gwyneth Powell played her headmistress role in Grange Hill for 11 years before asking to be written out.

After her departure, the actress bought the rights to EM Delafield's Diary of a Provincial Lady novels, which explore the life of an upper middle-class Englishwoman during the Great Depression.

The actress adapted the novels into a series of successful one-woman shows.

In a tribute to Powell, Patricia Hidalgo, director of BBC Children's and Education, said: "We are very sorry to hear of the passing of Gwyneth Powell.

"Her famous portrayal of Mrs McClusky is one that will be fondly remembered by all those that grew up watching Grange Hill.

"Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad time."