The actress Gwyneth Powell, best known for her role as Bridget “the midget” McClusky in the BBC TV series Grange Hill, has died in Brighton at the age of 76.
Powell, who was married to fellow actor Alan Leith, played the Grange Hill head from 1981 to 1991 and later appeared in the Channel 4 comedy Man Down.
Her representative Matthew Lacey said in a statement on behalf of the family that Powell died “after complications following a major operation for a perforated colon”.
She died last Thursday (8 September) in Brighton on the same day as the Queen.
The statement added: “She passed away peacefully, with her husband (Alan Leith) and niece at her bedside.
“Gwyneth will be greatly missed by her adoring family and friends along with her many fans from multiple TV appearances.”
BBC Children’s and Education director Patricia Hidalgo said: “We are very sorry to hear of the passing of Gwyneth Powell.
“Her famous portrayal of Mrs McClusky is one that will be fondly remembered by all those that grew up watching Grange Hill.
“Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad time.”
Powell was born in Manchester on Friday 5 July 1946 and landed her first big television role in The Guardians, a dystopian drama series on London Weekend Television in 1971.
Her career took off after she was cast in the children’s series Grange Hill, about life in a comprehensive school.
She played the tough but fair headmistress Bridget McClusky for 10 years until asking to be written out so that she could pursue other roles.
Her other credits included Heartbeat, Holby City and Father Brown and, in 2013, she was cast as the mother of Welsh comic Greg Davies’s character in the Channel 4 comedy Man Down.
In 2008, Powell spoke about her role as Mrs McClusky. She said: “At first, Mrs McClusky was written as a ‘twin set and pearls’ role but I was quite young at the time and didn’t want to play it like that.
“We started with the clothes and she was quite fashion conscious and chic. I was told by lots of people she was a great fillip to young women teachers who started applying for headships.
“The show had repercussions in all kinds of ways and the character did too. My period did coincide with the Thatcher years. I think Mrs McClusky became memorable because we had a prime minister like that.”
Powell lived just outside Brighton – not far from another actor who played a teacher in Grange Hill, Brian Capron.
Capron, now 75, who lives in Hove, played Stuart “Hoppy” Hopwood in Grange Hill from 1980 to 1983 before gaining even greater fame as the serial killer Richard Hillman in Coronation Street.
