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‘I thought there’d never be enough work!’ Ruth Madeley on sex, success and becoming a star out of sheer nosiness
Ruth Madeley, the 38-year-old actor known for Doctor Who and Years and Years, discusses her latest lead role in The Rapture, a BBC adaptation of Liz Jensen's 2009 novel, in which she plays a paralysed clinical psychologist drawn into the visions of a young offender. The interview highlights Madeley's growing influence in the industry, both as a performer redefining disability representation on screen and as a first-time executive producer, at a time when questions remain about the lack of disabled people in senior TV production roles.
Madeley, who has spina bifida and has used a wheelchair full-time for most of her life, draws on her own experience of changing mobility to portray Gabs, a character newly disabled after a car accident that killed her husband. She reflects on the eerie parallels between the show's climate-driven, apocalyptic tone and real-world events, noting that her earlier role in Years and Years also preceded a real crisis, the Covid pandemic. Despite her success, she says she remains a self-described "grafter" who prefers not to watch her own rushes, and she calls for greater representation of disabled people in behind-the-camera roles.
In short
- Ruth Madeley leads new BBC drama The Rapture and produces for the first time.
- She plays a psychologist paralysed after an accident, drawing on her own disability.
- Madeley urges more disabled people in TV's directing and production roles.
Explained simply
Ruth Madeley is a 38-year-old actor with spina bifida who uses a wheelchair and has appeared in major television productions including Doctor Who and Years and Years. She is becoming an increasingly prominent figure in the television industry and is taking on her first role as an executive producer.
The Rapture is a new BBC television adaptation of Liz Jensen's 2009 novel in which Madeley plays the lead role of Gabs, a clinical psychologist who becomes paralysed after a car accident. Madeley draws on her own experience of living with disability to portray a character navigating life after sudden paralysis.
Madeley's rising prominence comes at a time when the television industry continues to face questions about the representation of disabled people both on screen and particularly in senior production roles. Her work as both an actor redefining disability representation and as a first-time executive producer highlights both the progress that has been made and the gaps that remain.
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