My grandchildren are quite happy with me being naked on stage

RUTH MADOC

TAKE THAT: Tim Firth, Gary Barlow, Rebecca Storm, Fern Britton, Sara Crowe, Denise Welch, Ruth Madoc, Karen Dunbar and Anna-Jane Casey her GCSEs as a class they watched Under Milk Wood, the film I did with [Richard] Burton. She came home from school with a face like the back of a fish cart.

“She said: ‘Mum, you didn’t tell me you bared your bosoms in Under Milk Wood! I said, ‘Oh, didn’t I dear? I’m sorry, I forgot all about it.’”

Despite having appeared in a great number of straight acting roles Ruth can never escape the grip of Gladys. “I don’t mind if people haven’t seen my more serious work. I am in the psyche of the nation but people who follow theatre know about my career.”

Why is Gladys still in the “psyche of the nation” 30 years on?

“In those days it was all about the telephone voice and sounding as posh as possible,” says Ruth, going into character and saying, “Hello, how are you?” in the sexy voice Gladys adopted when trying to woo Maplins’ entertainment manager Jeffrey. “It was unrequited love but Gladys never gave up trying. And that is part of her appeal. She was funny but people had empathy for her when Jeffrey broke her heart and were happy for her when she ended up with Clive.”

Gladys was everywoman, says Ruth: “She was based on a lot of women I knew in Wales. Gladys was a terrible snob. When you come out of Wales and you do very well you have a different attitude. They are a cut above, or think they are.

“Some Welsh people are like that and Gladys was like that. It was part of her attraction and what made her funny.”

Ruth is credited with developing Gladys’s character but acknowledges that the success of Hi-de-Hi! was down to the quality of the writing by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, creators of other hit series such as Dad’s Army and It Ain’t Half Hot Mum.

Ruth is a fan of the great British seaside and she sympathises with families who are struggling to afford to go on foreign holidays or visit the theatre.

“I believe in the provinces. Many people I know wait for good plays to come to their local theatre because they can’t afford West End prices and to stay in a hotel in London. Theatre should be for everyone.”

With that it’s time for Ruth to head to The Grand for a dress rehearsal. Ruth denies she ever suffers from nerves. “I’ll be happy when first night is over, let’s put it that way,” she says, before adding defiantly: “I’ve lived with it all these weeks, we just need to get this baby born.”

Calendar Girls the musical is touring the UK from August 16 to April 20, 2019. Visit calendargirls themusical.com/tour