Editing Gwyneth Powell (section)

==Career==
Powell's first major television role was in the 1971 [[London Weekend Television|LWT]] [[dystopia]]n drama series, ''[[The Guardians (British TV series)|The Guardians]]''.<ref name="ThePress-Obit" /> She was a regular, if minor, player in many television dramas until being cast in ''Grange Hill'', in which she played the "firm but fair"<ref name = BBC/> headmistress Bridget ("The Midget") McClusky for eleven years. Of her role, she said in 2008:

{{blockquote|At first Mrs McClusky was written as a 'twin set and pearls' role but I was quite young at the time and didn't want to play it like that. We started with the clothes and she was quite fashion conscious and chic. I was told by lots of people she was a great fillip to young women teachers who started applying for headships. The show had repercussions in all kinds of ways and the character did too. My period did coincide with the [[Margaret Thatcher|Thatcher]] years. I think Mrs McClusky became memorable because we had a prime minister like that.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7231367.stm |title=  Mrs McClusky remembers her school  |accessdate=10 December 2009 | date=6 February 2008 | publisher=BBC News}}</ref>}}

Eventually, however, Powell wanted to pursue other interests and gave the ''Grange Hill'' producers and writers a year to write McClusky out of the series.<ref name = BBC/> She bought the rights to [[E. M. Delafield]]'s ''Diary of a Provincial Lady'' and adapted it as a self-financed one-woman show in [[Edinburgh]], also touring the production.<ref name = BBC/>

Powell went on to appear in other television programmes such as ''[[Heartbeat (British TV series)|Heartbeat]]'', ''[[A Touch of Frost]]'', ''[[Holby City]]'', ''[[Hetty Wainthropp Investigates]]'' and ''[[Father Brown (1974 TV series)|Father Brown]]'', and in 2008, ''[[Moving Wallpaper/Echo Beach|Echo Beach]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.sky.com/story/grange-hill-star-gwyneth-powell-who-played-headmistress-mrs-mcclusky-dies-after-surgery-complications-12695952|title=Grange Hill star Gwyneth Powell, who played headmistress Mrs McClusky, dies after surgery complications|website=Sky News}}</ref> She played the role of a school teacher in a Victorian School Day in an episode of the [[BBC Schools]] TV series ''Watch''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/sep/12/gwyneth-powell-actor-grange-hill-dies|title=Gwyneth Powell, actor who played Grange Hill's headteacher, dies aged 76|first=P. A.|last=Media|date=12 September 2022|website=the Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/12/gwyneth-powell-dead-grange-hill-actress-dies-aged-76-17359152/|title=Grange Hill actress Gwyneth Powell dies aged 76|first=Alicia|last=Adejobi|date=12 September 2022}}</ref> In 2009, using archive footage, coupled with some newly recorded lines, Powell reprised her ''Grange Hill'' role as Mrs McClusky for a cameo appearance in an episode of ''[[Ashes to Ashes (British TV series)|Ashes to Ashes]]'', set in 1982.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tv.sky.com/ashes-resurrects-grange-hill |title=Ashes Resurrects Grange Hill – Sky TV |publisher=Sky UK |accessdate=10 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027223259/http://tv.sky.com/ashes-resurrects-grange-hill |archivedate=27 October 2009 }}</ref> She also appeared in ''[[Arsenic and Old Lace (play)|Arsenic and Old Lace]]'' at the [[Salisbury Playhouse]].<ref name = arse>{{cite web |url=http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/leisure/entertainments/4711840.Why_comedy_is_simply_the_best_form_of_theatre/ |title=Why comedy is simply the best form of theatre |work=Salisbury Journal |publisher=salisburyjournal.co.uk |accessdate=10 December 2009 }}</ref> In 2010, Powell starred as Nana in ''[[The Gemma Factor]]''. Subsequently, in 2011–2013, she became a support character in the teen programme ''[[House of Anubis]]'', playing the role of Nina Martin's gran who ends up in hospital but is later released. She featured in seven episodes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.entertainmentdaily.co.uk/news/grange-hill-gwyneth-powell-mrs-mcclusky-death/|title=Grange Hill legend Gwyneth Powell - known for her role as Mrs McClusky - has died at the age of 76|first=Helen|last=Fear|date=12 September 2022|website=Entertainment Daily}}</ref> In 2013 she took the role of [[Greg Davies]]' mother Polly Davies in the [[Channel 4]] comedy ''[[Man Down (TV series)|Man Down]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.channel4.com/press/news/man-down-interview-gwyneth-powell|title=Man Down - Interview with Gwyneth Powell &#124; Channel 4|website=www.channel4.com}}</ref>