Sheila Reid smashed up the 'Benidorm' set when she was first given her mobility scooter.

Sheila Reid (c) Twitter

Sheila Reid (c) Twitter

The 79-year-old actress - who is able to walk and drive in real life - has portrayed disabled Madge Harvey in the ITV comedy since its inception in 2007 but has admitted she struggled to get to grips with the motor aid when she first received the prop and "ruined" everything.

Speaking on 'Loose Women' on Thursday (02.10.17), Sheila said: "I had a wonderful time in it. But it was great to be back on board. The first time I was in it, we had this tiny little flat we were filming the family in. I was like a mad thing. I didn't know what was forward of back. I ruined everything. Now I'm a pro. I have been saved by my son-on-law many a time.

"Someone said 'do you drive a car' and I said 'yes' and they said 'my God!'"

Madge is portrayed as a mean-spirited and acid-tongued pensioner, and is known for her chain-smoking and her trademark usage of a mobility scooter, despite being able-bodied.

Sheila is now starring in a spoof comedy alongside Jonny Vegas called 'Murder on the Blackpool Express' and admitted she had a "wonderful time on that coach."

She said: "Jonny is the kindest, nicest man in the world. He's glorious. [The show] is very funny and a spoof comedy. It's huge fun. We had a wonderful time on that coach, it got very very hot but that was quite good. It's a great cast and a great writer. I love comedy. I think if you do a lot of one thing you want to do something else."

The two-part comedy series follows Terry (Jonny), the despondent driver of the coach who's stuck in a rut.

But everything changes when an OAP dies under suspicious circumstances and Terry suspects something sinister has happened and soon the number of passengers seriously dwindled and he feels compelled to solve the mystery.