Doctor Who star "honoured" to be cast as disability rights activist in Apple's Being Heumann
Ruth Madeley has described it as "the role of a lifetime".

Doctor Who star Ruth Madeley has revealed she is "honoured" to have been cast in "the role of a lifetime" in Apple TV+'s upcoming film Being Heumann.
The BAFTA nominee has been confirmed to play disability rights activist Judy Heumann, known as "the Mother of the disability rights movement", in an adaptation of her bestselling memoir, which will be adapted, produced, and directed by Oscar winner Siân Heder.
The film will focus around the 28-day sit-in of the San Francisco Federal Building by a group of more than 100 disabled people that Heumann led in 1977.

A synopsis of the upcoming production says: "The protestors quickly form a tightly-bound community, refusing to leave until the government enforces section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which required all federal spaces to become accessible.”
Madeley, who is a strong advocate for disability representation on screen, expressed her delight at being cast in the role in a statement after it was announced.
She said: "What an unbelievable honour to play The Mother of disability rights, an icon and powerhouse to the disabled community.
"Judy has always been a source of inspiration for me personally and I am so excited to share her story with the world. This is truly the role of a lifetime."
Madeley's breakthrough came in Don't Take My Baby, which saw her nominated for a BAFTA for her portrayal of a disabled mother battling to keep her child, but the 37-year-old is perhaps best known for later roles in Doctor Who as Shirley Bingham and Years and Years.
In the 2018 BBC documentary Spina Bifida & Me, she delved into the impact of the condition, her own journey with it, and new developments in the area.
Alongside Heder, whose 2021 film CODA won her an Academy Award for best adapted screenplay and became the first film with a majority deaf cast to win best picture, Being Heumann will be produced by David Permut (Hacksaw Ridge) and Kevin Walsh (Manchester By The Sea) as well as Heumann's managers Kevin Cleary and John W. Beach.
Beyond Madeley, the rest of the cast has not yet been revealed.
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