Madge Hindle
(c) Lancashire Evening Telegraph, 25.09.1968
Madge was born in Blackburn on the 19th May,1938 to James and Edith Railton. She went to Manchester University and her first job was teaching mentally handicapped children in Manchester. Through her good friend Russell Harty she met the playwright Alan Bennett who in 1961 took a group to the Edinburgh Festival. He asked Madge to appear in one of his sketches which proved to be the start of her acting career. For a while she gave up professional acting and joined an amateur group in Blackburn where she met her husband Michael Hindle, a solicitor. They married in 1962 and had two daughters Charlotte and Frances.
Madge had never been to drama school and Blackburn Arts Club, where she later became Vice President, constituted most of her training ground A few months after Frances was born she again worked with Alan Bennett in his 1966 BBC comedy series "On the Margin" and also, in that same year, when her mother became the Mayor of Blackburn, Madge officiated as her Mayoress. She herself had shown interest in local politics having been the Chairman of the Young Socialists in Blackburn.
From 1968 up to 1973 Madge appeared in the T.V. comedy 'Nearest and Dearest' with Hylda Baker and Jimmy Jewel. In 1975 Madge appeared in Alan Bennett's plays 'Sunset across the Bay' and, in 1982, 'Intensive Care'. She also appeared in several productions with Ronnie Barker including 'Porridge', 'Open All Hours' and 'The Two Ronnies' followed by two films - 'The Picnic' and its sequel 'By the Sea'. Around this time in 1976 Madge was invited to play Renee Bradshaw in 'Coronation Street' and stayed in the series until 1980. In the nineties she appeared in a sitcom called 'Barbara' until 2003.
In retirement, Madge and her husband bought a farmhouse near to Settle where her friend Russell Harty had also lived. Their daughters followed in their parents footsteps - Charlotte became a T.V. presenter for the B.B.C. and Frances became a barrister.
Sources:
The Lancashire Evening Telegraph, 25th September,1969
The Lancashire Evening Telegraph, 22nd May, 1970
Wikipedia
Compiled by Community History Volunteer, Janet Burke
Published January 2022
