Patricia Brake dead – Porridge star dies at home aged 79 after ‘very long’ cancer battle

BBC sitcom actress Patricia Brake has died aged 79 after a “very long” battle with cancer, her family have confirmed.

The Porridge star’s agent said that she would be "sadly missed" by her friends, family, colleagues and fans.

Brake’s 60-year-long career saw her play roles in iconic television soaps Coronation Street, Emmerdale and EastEnders.

But she was best known for playing Ingrid Fletcher in Porridge during the 1970s, alongside Richard Beckinsale and Nicholas Lyndhurst.

She also had roles in Midsomer Murders, Doctors, Casualty, Holby City, 2point4 Children and Eldorado.

Brake famously worked alongside the Two Ronnies and Morecambe and Wise and in the late 1970s, and was seen every Saturday night as Eth in The Glums.

In a statement her agent Scott Marshall Partners said: "It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our client and well-loved stage and TV actress, Patricia Brake, at the age of 79, after a very long battle with cancer."

Born in Bath in 1942, she went to study at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School when she was 16 years old.

Brake joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford when still a teenager after falling in love with the theatre.

During that season, she played Hermia in Peter Hall's A Midsummer Night's Dream, alongside Dames Judi Dench and Diana Rigg.

She continued to work until last year when she played a rape victim in ITV drama Manhunt.

She also worked in shows such as Truth Seekers by Nick Frost and Defending the Guilty by Alex McBride.

Brake's first marriage was to actor Robert McBain while she subsequently married Michael Kennedy and she is survived by her children, step-children and grand-children.