Ruth Madeley, 38, is shaking up showbiz and redefining how disability is portrayed on screen. In a new interview, she discusses her leading role in the BBC's end-times thriller The Rapture, based on Liz Jensen's 2009 bestseller, and her journey from disability campaigner to acclaimed actor.
Leading The Rapture
Madeley plays Gabs, a clinical psychologist recently paralysed in a car accident that killed her husband. The series is set in a children's secure psychiatric unit, where inmate Bethany (India Amarteifio) has visions that eerily come true. The heatwave backdrop mirrors real climate crisis concerns. 'Yes, it's feeling very timely,' Madeley says wryly. This is her first time leading a series and executive producing. 'I don't want the credit if I'm not going to do the work,' she states.
Disability on Screen
Madeley, born with spina bifida, has been a disability campaigner since childhood. She notes progress in hiring disabled actors but adds, 'Where are the disabled directors, producers, heads of departments? I don't think we're there yet.' Her role in The Rapture explores acquired disability and grief, drawing on her own experience as her mobility has decreased. 'I use my wheelchair 90% of the time now, so that change really helps when playing Gabs,' she explains.
Career Breakthrough
Madeley's mainstream breakthrough came in Russell T Davies's Years and Years, playing Rosie, a sexually active wheelchair user. She received messages from friends saying they'd never seen that on screen before. 'That was one of my favourite parts,' she told Italian Vogue. Her role in Doctor Who as Shirley Anne Bingham, a scientist with a tooled-up wheelchair, further cemented her status. 'Look at us, we're doing it, and the world's gonna see it,' she says of filming The Rapture.
From Campaigner to Star
Madeley grew up in Bolton and was a campaigner before an actor. At 13, she visited Downing Street to discuss wheelchair provision. She studied scriptwriting at Edge Hill University and got into acting by accident while doing work experience at the BBC. She initially kept her full-time job at Whizz Kids, thinking acting wouldn't provide steady income. 'I thought there was never going to be enough work for me to do this and only this,' she recalls. Now, with multiple projects in development, she is also writing.
Personal Life
Madeley married Joe Lawrence in 2024 after 12 years together. They have known each other since age five. 'He thinks what I'm doing for a living is absolutely hysterical,' she says. 'He's not an actor, he's very grounded.'
The Rapture starts on 26 July at 9pm on BBC One.
