Ruth Madoc

Ruth Madoc was born in Norwich in 1943 but grew up in Llansamlet, near Swansea.

She trained at the prestigious RADA and after spending three years with the Black and White Minstrel Show, returned to leading roles on the stage, including appearances in musicals West Side Story and Man Of La Mancha.

Madoc played the role of Gladys Pugh in Hi-de-Hi! for eight years between 1980 and 1988, becoming a firm household favourite in the process. The sitcom was set in the late 1950s and followed the exploits of the quirky team at a Maplin's Holiday Camp.

Gladys was the camp's chief Yellowcoat, and was described as the Vamp From The Valleys - a woman relentless in her pursuit of the entertainment manager Jeffrey Fairbrother, played by Simon Cadell.

Madoc is a seasoned stage actor, having starred in productions ranging from Shakespearean roles to musicals, co-starring with the late Sir Harry Secombe in Pickwick, playing Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street and Mama Rose in Gypsy. She is also a pantomime favourite and has starred in over 30, including Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Babes in the Wood and Snow White.

Film appearances include Fiddler on the Roof, The Prince and the Pauper and the 2001 film Very Annie Mary, in which she played the role of Mrs Ifans alongside fellow Welsh actors Jonathan Pryce, Ioan Gruffudd and Matthew Rhys.

In 2004 she starred in the Swansea-set Mine All Mine, comedy sketch show Revolver and of course Little Britain, in which she played Mrs Thomas, mother of the outrageous Dafydd.

Other recent roles include BBC comedy drama Big Top, and lending her voice to the children's television series Mist: Sheepdog Tales.

Madoc is a fellow of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and is an Honorary Fellow of the Swansea Institute of Education.