No-one has done more to bring the Calder Valley to our TV screens than Sally Wainwright OBE. Her brand includes Scott and Bailey, Last Tango in Halifax and Gentleman Jack in addition to the somewhat misnamed Happy Valley, the location for murder, suicide and other assorted crimes. Her most recent product Riot Women features four menopausal women determined to channel their inner rocker in addition to a woman with more than a nodding acquaintance with the local police force. Why are viewers so drawn to these dramas?
The answer could be that Wainwright creates complex female characters grappling with the demands of family and society. However these women are in no way victims – they display an energy, resilience and determination to express their unique gifts in a world which often punishes women who refuse to conform. The most notable of these is of course Anne Lister (Gentleman Jack) a real-life business woman and entrepreneur who challenged gender stereotypes at a time when women were relegated to the domestic sphere.
Wainwright’s modern-day female characters reprise Gentleman Jack’s chutzpah in refusing to be invisible.
Interestingly Wainwright’s drama about the Brontes is called “To Walk Invisible” – a comment on societal expectations of women in the nineteenth century. In order to be published the sisters had to give themselves a male identity as women were not supposed to write for commercial gain.
Last Tango in Halifax challenges ageist attitudes towards relationships and is based on Sally’s mother’s own experience in finding love in her seventies with a former sweetheart.
Running through all Wainwright’s work is a sense of the vernacular, indeed her Bronte characters were the first to speak on screen with the local accent. Filming takes place in recognisable places in West Yorkshire which has prompted an influx of visitors to the Calder Valley, all keen to see where iconic scenes from the various series were shot. Sally Wainwright should be rightly proud – a local girl shaped by her heritage and now putting that heritage centre-stage.
If you would like to discover more about these locations as part of a guided tour please contact Rosemary Barnes https://yorkshiresbestguides.co.uk/project/rosemary-barnes/
