Bolton’s Ruth Madeley breaks new ground as star of BBC’sThe Rapture

Ruth, who grew up in Westhoughton, stars in the series based on Liz Jensen’s novel of the same name,.

It unfolds during a sweltering heatwave as protesters take to the streets amid growing environmental unrest.

The series follows forensic psychologist Gabs Fox, played by Ruth, who begins a new role at a high-security psychiatric hospital. There, she meets There, she meets 17-year-old Bethany Krall, played by India Amarteifio, who was convicted of murdering her mother, but insists she is innocent.

Bethany is estranged from her father, Leonard, played by Sam Hazeldine, the charismatic leader of an influential religious movement.

Ruth Madeley as Gabriele Fox and India Amarteifio as Bethany Krall (Image: BBC / Mammoth Screen)

She tells Gabs that she has psychic powers and can predict the future. But what will it take for Gabs to believe her? And if Bethany didn’t kill her mother, then who did?

The five-part series, set in Wales, also stars Jack Farthing, Iwan Rheon, Siena Kelly and Ruth Jones.

Ruth, who attended Thornleigh Salesian College, and best known for playing Shirley Anne Bingham in Doctor Who, was born with spina bifida and says it is a significant milestone to portray a wheelchair user in a leading role on screen.

“I think being given the privilege to do something like this is incredibly special,” she says.

“To be able to tell a story with such important themes, and to bring a character to the screen who is so complex, is something I feel really honoured by.

Pictured: Iwan Rheon as Dick Carwyn and Ruth Madeley as Gabriele (Image: BBC / Mammoth Screen)

“But then to add disability into that, as someone who didn’t grow up seeing herself represented on screen, makes it even more significant. It’s not only a privilege, but also a huge achievement, and I’m incredibly proud of it.

“It’s something I want to keep doing. I want to keep seeing these kinds of stories being told, keep pushing boundaries and keep exploring what representation can look like.”

Speaking about Gabs, she says: “I’m always drawn to the messy decisions characters make – the moments where you think, ‘Why on earth would you do that?’. I’m really interested in what drives a character’s decision-making.

Stephen Campbell-Moore as Max Leland and Ruth Madeley as Gabriele Fox (Image: BBC / Mammoth Screen)

“I found the dynamic between Gabs and Bethany really intriguing. It felt fresh and new. I loved the push and pull between them. Even without the disability or psychological elements, I think the way they play this cat-and-mouse game with each other is incredibly compelling.”

In the series, Gabs is involved in a car accident and becomes a wheelchair user.

“Gabs is still getting used to everything. She’s very much dealing with the trauma and grief of having her family life completely obliterated, while also trying to build a new life in a new place, in a new body. I think she’s a little unsure of herself.

“I also feel she gravitates towards Bethany in a way that perhaps she wouldn’t have if she hadn’t experienced the accident and everything that came with it. She’s trying to be the psychologist she was before the accident, but she begins to realise she has a new level of empathy – one she perhaps didn’t have before.

“She’s intrigued by Bethany, and I think that’s a really strong thread that comes across, even while she’s trying to protect herself, her career, and her own sanity.”

Amarteifio, 24, who gained global recognition for her role as young Queen Charlotte in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, says she was fascinated by a series centred around a neurodivergent lead and a lead character who is a wheelchair user.

“For me, what really stood out was the idea of bringing a young, potentially neurodivergent character into a central role who shares the screen with a person who also uses a wheelchair,” says the London-born actress.

“In what world do those identities usually come together? I think it’s a really interesting combination of experiences that exist in real life, but that we rarely get to see represented, particularly on screen.

“That was one of the first things that appealed to me. I’d also read the book, and I thought it was really intense and incredibly compelling. I don’t think I’d seen an adaptation on that scale from the BBC aimed at such a broad audience before. The topics we delve into are quite niche and specific, and they’re the kind of stories you’d normally expect to see on a streaming platform.

“So the fact that this will be available to so many people, and accessible to the majority of the public, is really exciting to me. It explores important topics and themes that we should all be talking about.”

Speaking about the supernatural elements in the series, Amarteifio says: “I wanted to embrace the magical realism in the show, but as an actor, I also wanted to find the emotional reality in every situation. That’s how I approached it.

“It’s the first time in your life when you really begin to question things, to form opinions that differ from your parents’ or your peers’, and to see the world through your own eyes. That can be really frightening because it challenges everything you’ve grown up believing.

“For Bethany, enough of these visions have come true that she knows they’re not just random coincidences. At that point, she’s thinking, ‘Okay, this isn’t a fluke. This is really happening’.

“There are also strong religious and biblical themes running through the story, which raises questions: Is this a gift from God? Is it something else? Is it something darker? We never really know, and I think keeping that ambiguity was important. If we pinned it down to one definitive explanation, it wouldn’t be nearly as interesting.”

Both loved how the climate emergency theme was integrated into the story.

“There’s so much happening within the series that the climate change conversation is almost there without the audience necessarily realising it. It’s part of the backdrop rather than something that’s being forced upon you,” said Ruth.

“I think it’s beautifully done. So for that to reach a wider audience, as India mentioned earlier, is really exciting. But for me, it was less about the subject itself and more about the way it was told, the way it was conveyed to the audience. I thought that was really clever and really effective.”

“There’s a really lovely but, in my opinion, quite frightening element to the story, because climate change is this constant undercurrent throughout,” says Amarteifio.

“There aren’t loads of obvious references to it, but it’s always there, the relentless heat, the feeling of that heat building all the time.”

The Rapture is on BBC iPlayer and the BBC.