Patricia Brake

Classically-trained English comedy actress Patricia Ann Brake was a graduate of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. She began her acting career at the Salisbury Playhouse in 1960. Two years later, she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon performing alongside future acting greats Ian Richardson, Diana Rigg, Judi Dench, James Booth and Ian Holm. On television, Patricia Brake is best remembered as Ronnie Barker's on-screen daughter Ingrid in Porridge (1974) (and its sequel Going Straight (1978)). Her blonde, vivacious looks and a certain penchant for comedy (especially cockney roles) ensured that she was frequently cast in sitcoms: Vicki in Second Time Around (1974), Eth in The Glums (1978), Dolly Delights in Mann's Best Friends (1985) (tenant in a chaotic boarding house run by Porridge co-star Fulton Mackay) and Cherry in Troubles and Strife (1985). She also appeared as diverse characters in The Two Ronnies (1971) sketches. Brake's roles in classic literary adaptations have included Lorna Doone (1963) and Nicholas Nickleby (1977) (as Miss Madeline Bray, Nickleby's love interest and eventual spouse). No stranger to soaps either, Brake delighted daytime audiences with recurring roles in Emmerdale Farm (1972),Eldorado (1992) (during the filming in Spain she met her future second husband), EastEnders (1985) and Coronation Street (1960). She also guested in The Bill (1984), Midsomer Murders (1997) and the long-running hospital drama series Casualty (1986). Until 2002, she was active on stage at the London West End and at the Theatre Royal in her home town of Bath, Somerset. During a 2017 interview, Brake admitted to being an avid theatre-goer herself and to greatly enjoy gardening in her spare time. Brake died in May 2022, aged 79, after a long battle with cancer.