Ruth Madoc dead: Hi-de-Hi actress dies at 79 after accident earlier this week

Comedy legend and Hi-de-Hi! actress Ruth Madoc has died aged 79, her agent has confirmed in a statement.

Ruth suffered an fall earlier this week and was rushed to hospital but has since died.

She had been scheduled to perform in this year’s pantomime of Aladdin at the Princess Theatre in Torquay.

In a statement, Phil Belfield of talent agency Belfield & Ward Ltd, described Ruth Madoc as “one of a kind and a unique talent loved by many”.

He 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 9th December 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.”

Broadcaster Gyles Brandreth said on Twitter: “This is such sad news. Ruth was a very lovely person – and a wonderfully gifted actress.

“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!”

Ruth is best known for her role as Gladys Pugh in the 1980s BBC television comedy Hi-de-Hi!, for which she received a BAFTA TV award nomination for Best Light Entertainment Performance.

She later appeared as Daffyd Thomas’s mother in the second series of Little Britain.

Ruth had been a regular on the pantomime scene having had a glittering career on stage with credits including Annie, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella.