Tributes to Hi-de-Hi! star Ruth Madoc who has died age 79

Tributes poured in yesterday for actress Ruth Madoc, best known for BBC sitcom Hi-de-Hi!, who has died at the age of 79 following a fall.

The actress became a household name playing chief yellowcoat Gladys Pugh in the hugely successful TV series about a holiday camp in the late 1950s.

Her career also spanned an array of roles in theatre and musicals, from Fiddler On The Roof to Gypsy.

Phil Belfield, of talent agency Belfield & Ward, said: “Ruth passed away on Friday 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.”

Actor and writer Sir Tony Robinson said: “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.”

Broadcaster Gyles Brandreth remembered Madoc for being 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,” said Brandreth. “RIP Ruth Madoc and thanks for the memories. Goodbye campers!”

Cadell played holiday camp boss Jeffrey Fairbrother, the object of affections for Madoc’s character, Gladys Pugh.

Actor Joe McGann, who starred with Madoc in the Calendar Girls stage show, said: “I was lucky enough to work with her more than once and I loved the bright, skilful, funny, fearless, kind, and inspiring ball of light that she always was.”

She is survived by her two children.