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Porridge actress Patricia Brake dies aged 79 after ‘long battle with cancer’

Actress Patricia Brake, who starred as Ronnie Barker’s on-screen daughter in sitcom Porridge, has died aged 79 after a “very long battle with cancer”, her agent said.

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The soap stalwart played recurring roles in EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale across a career spanning six decades.

In a statement on Twitter, 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.” 

Brake became well-known after playing Barker’s on-screen daughter Ingrid Fletcher in BBC sitcom Porridge in the 1970s.

She reprised the role in Going Straight, alongside cast members Richard Beckinsale and Nicholas Lyndhurst.

Over the years, Brake worked with world-renowned comedians Barker and Ronnie Corbett, known as The Two Ronnies, along with duo Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise.

Throughout her career other TV roles included ITV’s Manhunt, The Glums and Midsomer Murders, as well as the BBC’s Doctors, Holby City and Casualty.

Born in Bath, Brake studied at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1962, where she played Hermia in Peter Hall’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, alongside Dame Judi Dench and Dame Diana Rigg.