Disabled actor Madeley takes executive producer credit on BBC drama

Ruth Madeley has taken her first lead role and executive producer credit on the BBC’s new adaptation of Liz Jensen’s 2009 novel, The Rapture. The move marks a notable shift for disabled professionals in European television, transferring visibility into structural power. Madeley, 38, plays Gabs, a recently paralysed clinical psychologist navigating a children’s secure psychiatric unit amid a sweltering climate crisis.

While on-screen representation of disability has improved over the past decade, Madeley argues the industry's structural employment practices remain lagging. “Hiring disabled actors rather than just playing disability; I feel like the representation of visible and non-visible disabilities has gotten better, though I don’t think we’re there yet,” she said. She stressed that true inclusion requires decision-making power, asking: “Where are the disabled directors, producers, heads of department?”

The British television sector has historically struggled with ableism, often treating disabled characters as narrative tropes rather than everyday people. Madeley’s previous work, including a Bafta-nominated turn in Jack Thorne’s Don’t Take My Baby and a breakout role in Russell T Davies’s Years and Years, has been part of a broader cultural correction. In Years and Years, her character's disability was incidental to a storyline that portrayed her as sexually active, a rarity that prompted widespread audience feedback.

Born with spina bifida, Madeley spent years balancing a full-time job at the disability charity Whizz Kids with acting work. She initially took a six-month sabbatical to film Years and Years, only transitioning to acting full-time when her charity's CEO noted the continuous flow of roles, telling her: “I think you might be an actor now.”

Taking on an executive producer role now represents a deliberate effort to shape narratives directly. “I don’t want the credit if I’m not going to do the work,” she said, though she chose to avoid reviewing daily rushes to prevent overthinking her performance.

The Rapture pairs Madeley with India Amarteifio, who plays an inmate whose disturbing drawings begin to predict real-world disasters. The series arrives as European public discourse increasingly intersects with climate anxiety and institutional failure. For the broader TV industry, Madeley’s ascent from a charity employee doing occasional auditions to a lead actor and producer underscores a slow but tangible change in how disabled talent is integrated into major productions.