Madge Hindle

Hindle was born in Blackburn, Lancashire. Her break came when her friend, playwright Alan Bennett, asked her to appear in his 1966 BBC comedy series On the Margin.[1]

From 1968 to 1973, she played the role of Lily Tattersall on the series Nearest and Dearest. When the series' director, Bill Podmore, took over as producer of Coronation Street, he thought of her when he created the role of the feisty shopkeeper, Renee Bradshaw.[2]

Hindle joined the cast as Renee Bradshaw in 1976. In 1978, Renee was married to the character Alf Roberts (Bryan Mosley). However, in 1980, Renee was killed when her car was struck by a lorry. Hindle remains philosophical about her character's death in Coronation Street, saying that if they had to write her out, at least they killed her, which meant she would never be tempted to return, thus risking typecasting.

She appeared in two of Alan Bennett's television plays: Sunset Across the Bay (1975) and Intensive Care (1982). She worked in several productions with Ronnie Barker, playing the governor's secretary Mrs Hesketh in the BBC sitcom Porridge and made two appearances in Open All Hours, another Barker sitcom. She co-starred with Barker again in The Two Ronnies' 1982 almost-silent TV film By the Sea.

Hindle had a recurring role alongside Gwen Taylor in the 1990s sitcom Barbara.[3] She played the role until 2003.

In addition to being an actress, Hindle was Mayoress of Blackburn when her mother became Mayor. Her daughter, Charlotte Hindle, was a presenter on the Saturday morning children's show Get Fresh in the 1980s, and since 2016 has been a producer of BBC One's religious programme Songs of Praise.

Hindle is the Honorary Vice-President of Blackburn Arts Club, an amateur dramatic society. Along with her husband Michael, she appeared in many productions for the club during the 1960s.

She now lives, with her husband Michael, near Settle in North Yorkshire, in a converted farmhouse that she originally bought with friend Russell Harty.

• Madge Hindle at IMDb