Gwyneth Powell
Encyclopedia
Gwyneth Powell is an English
actress who is most known for her portrayal of headmistress Bridget McCluskey in the BBC
television series Grange Hill
for eleven series between 1981 and 1991.
dystopia
n drama series, "The Guardians
". She was a regular, if minor, player in many television dramas until being cast in Grange Hill, in which she played the "firm but fair" headmistress Bridget ("The Midget") McClusky for eleven years. Of her role, she said in 2008,
Eventually, however, Powell wanted to pursue other interests and gave the Grange Hill producers and writers a year to write McClusky out of the series. She bought the rights to E. M. Delafield
's Diary of a Provincial Lady and adapted it as a self-financed one-woman show in Edinburgh
, also touring the production.
Since then, Powell has appeared in other television programmes such as Heartbeat, A Touch of Frost
and Father Brown, and in 2008, Echo Beach.
In 2009, using archive footage, coupled with some newly-recorded lines, Powell reprised her Grange Hill role as Mrs. McClusky for a cameo appearance in an episode of Ashes to Ashes
, set in 1982. She also appeared in Arsenic and Old Lace
at the Salisbury Playhouse
.
She is married to actor Alan Leith currently resides in Hurstpierpoint
, West Sussex
and is a patron of local drama group, the Hurstpierpoint Players. In 2010 Gwyneth Powell is set to appear in The Gemma Factor, a BBC Three
comedy set in Hebden Bridge
, and further episodes of Heartbeat.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actress who is most known for her portrayal of headmistress Bridget McCluskey in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television series Grange Hill
Grange Hill
Grange Hill is a British television drama series originally made by the BBC. The show began in 1978 on BBC1 and was one of the longest running programmes on British television...
for eleven series between 1981 and 1991.
Career
Powell originally trained as a teacher at Goldsmiths, University of London, but instead chose to act in repertory theatre. Her first major television role was in the 1971 LWTLondon Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
dystopia
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
n drama series, "The Guardians
The Guardians (TV series)
The Guardians was a television drama series of 13x60 minute episodes made by London Weekend Television and broadcast in the UK on the ITV network between July 10, 1971 and October 2, 1971....
". She was a regular, if minor, player in many television dramas until being cast in Grange Hill, in which she played the "firm but fair" headmistress Bridget ("The Midget") McClusky for eleven years. Of her role, she said in 2008,
Eventually, however, Powell wanted to pursue other interests and gave the Grange Hill producers and writers a year to write McClusky out of the series. She bought the rights to E. M. Delafield
E. M. Delafield
Edmée Elizabeth Monica Dashwood, née de la Pasture , commonly known as E. M. Delafield, was a prolific English author. She is best-known for her largely autobiographical Diary of a Provincial Lady, which took the form of a journal of the life of an upper-middle class Englishwoman living mostly in a...
's Diary of a Provincial Lady and adapted it as a self-financed one-woman show in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, also touring the production.
Since then, Powell has appeared in other television programmes such as Heartbeat, A Touch of Frost
A Touch of Frost (TV series)
A Touch of Frost is a television detective series produced by Yorkshire Television for ITV from 1992 until 2010, initially based on the Frost novels by R. D. Wingfield....
and Father Brown, and in 2008, Echo Beach.
In 2009, using archive footage, coupled with some newly-recorded lines, Powell reprised her Grange Hill role as Mrs. McClusky for a cameo appearance in an episode of Ashes to Ashes
Ashes to Ashes (TV series)
Ashes to Ashes is a British science fiction and police procedural drama television series, serving as the sequel to Life on Mars.The series began airing on BBC One in February 2008. A second series began broadcasting in April 2009...
, set in 1982. She also appeared in Arsenic and Old Lace
Arsenic and Old Lace (play)
Arsenic and Old Lace is a play by American playwright Joseph Kesselring, written in 1939. It has become best known through the film adaptation starring Cary Grant and directed by Frank Capra. The play was directed by Bretaigne Windust, and opened on January 10, 1941. On September 25, 1943, the...
at the Salisbury Playhouse
Salisbury Playhouse
Salisbury Playhouse is a theatre in the county of Wiltshire, it was built in 1976 and has two theatre spaces – the Main House and Salberg Studio ....
.
She is married to actor Alan Leith currently resides in Hurstpierpoint
Hurstpierpoint
Hurstpierpoint is a village in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. Together with Sayers Common it forms one of the Mid Sussex civil parishes, with an area of 2029.88 ha and a population of 6,264 persons....
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
and is a patron of local drama group, the Hurstpierpoint Players. In 2010 Gwyneth Powell is set to appear in The Gemma Factor, a BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
comedy set in Hebden Bridge
Hebden Bridge
Hebden Bridge is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the Upper Calder Valley and lies 8 miles west of Halifax and 14 miles north east of Rochdale, at the confluence of the River Calder and the River Hebden .A 2004 profile of...
, and further episodes of Heartbeat.