Ruth Madeley

Actress and Writer

Judges Choice

I always knew I wanted to be in the industry. I grew up never seeing anyone who looked like me on screen so disability representation in the media was always a big passion of mine. But I never thought acting would be an option. Writing was always my thing, but the universe had other ideas. I fell into acting through people I met at the BBC, and I’ve never looked back since. My breakthrough moment was when I received a Best Leading Actress BAFTA nomination in 2016 for my role in Jack Thorn’s BAFTA winning drama Don’t Take My Baby.

Later that same year I was chosen to be part of the 2016/17 BAFTA Breakthrough cohort. Since then, I have been proud to work on lots of high-profile productions for both the UK and US market, as well as theatre. Some of my work includes Russell T Davies’ Years And Years, The Rook, The Watch and most recently, Then Barbara Met Alan. In 2021 I received the Stylist Magazine Remarkable Women Changemaker Award for my work in helping to increase disability representation and make the industry more accessible for disabled people.