Hi-de-Hi! star Ruth Madoc dies aged 79 while recovering in hospital from a fall

10 December 2022, 14:02 | Updated: 10 December 2022, 14:35

Hi-de-Hi! star Ruth Madoc has died aged 79 after a fall.

The actress, most famous for playing Gladys Pugh in the BBC sitcom, was in hospital after surgery she had for the fall.

Ms Madoc was also known for appearing in productions of Fiddler on the Roof and Gypsy during her stint in theatre and musicals.

Her agent Phil Belfield said: "It is with much sadness that we have to announce the death of our dear and much-loved client Ruth Madoc.

"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.

"From film work such as Fiddler On The Roof and Under Milk Wood with Richard Burton and her iconic TV performance as Gladys Pugh in Hi De Hi! and more recently in Little Britain and on stage with Calendar Girls (the play and the musical), plus recent acclaim in short films Skinny Fat and Cardiff, she was truly a national treasure and was looking forward to getting back on the road in 2023 with The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

"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."

Ms Madoc was appearing in Aladdin in Torquay when she had her fall.

Blackadder star Sir Tony Robinson said: "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."

Les Dennis said: "So very sad to hear that lovely Ruth Madoc has passed away. She was such a talented and lovely woman. Thoughts with her family."

Born in 1943, Ms Madoc was brought up in Llansamlet in Wales before training at RADA and landing a role as Fruma Sarah in the film of the musical Fiddler On the Roof in 1971.

But she was most known for Hi-de-Hi!, which was set in a 1950s holiday camp.

Among her most recent appearances on the screen was her role in a women's version of The Real Full Monty in 2018, alongside stars like Coleen Nolan.

Ms Madoc is survived by two children.