BAFTA-winning writer Sally Wainwright is making her return to the BBC, following the tremendous success of “Happy Valley.” She brings with her a new drama titled “Hot Flush,” which has been announced today by Lindsay Salt, the Director of BBC Drama, at the Edinburgh TV Festival.
“Hot Flush” revolves around the lives of five women who have reached a certain age. They come together with the aim of forming an impromptu punk-rock band, which becomes the subject of jokes. Their goal is to participate in a talent competition. However, during their rehearsal sessions, they unexpectedly realise that they have a lot more to express than they had ever envisioned, and this becomes their chosen mode of expression.
Produced by Drama Republic, the creators of “Doctor Foster,” this six-part drama follows the journey of these women. They navigate through demanding careers, grown-up children who continue to consume their energy, elderly parents requiring care, husbands who have disappointed them, and the challenges of menopause. The formation of the band becomes a catalyst for transformative change in the women’s lives, leading them to reevaluate everything they know.
Set in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, the narrative delves deeper than just music as a binding factor. A profoundly potent secret, long buried, connects Kitty and Beth, the two unexpected creative masterminds driving the band’s formation. This secretive past has the potential to unravel everything they’ve built.
Sally Wainwright, writer and executive producer, says: “I’ve been wanting to write a series like this for a long time. It’s a celebration of women of a certain age, and all the life-stuff they suddenly find themselves negotiating/dealing with. The show is also my own personal homage to Rock Follies of ’77, and the feisty Little Ladies who woke me up to what I wanted to do with my life when I was 13. I’m thrilled to be working with Charlotte again at the BBC, looking forward hugely to working with Lindsay, and utterly delighted to (finally!) be working with Roanna again at Drama Republic.”
Roanna Benn, executive producer, says: “I am truly over the moon to be working with the amazing Sally on her new show for the BBC. In Hot Flush, Sally has found a unique way to explore and celebrate female friendships that is bold, vital and true. In inimitable Sally-style, Hot Flush introduces us to brilliant and unforgettable characters; it is so funny, and simultaneously so full of drama, it will have you laughing and sitting on the edge of your seat. This is a show about the women who hold up modern Britain, their stories urgently need to be told, and who better than Sally Wainwright to do that.”
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, says: “We’re so excited to have the magnificent Sally Wainwright back writing on the BBC, with the brilliant Drama Republic team producing. Hot Flush is a sharply observed, vibrant and vital story of five very different women at the same stage in their lives, joined together by their love of music. But that’s just the start and – as you’d expect from Sally – there are twists and turns aplenty to keep viewers enthralled.”
Hot Flush (6×60) is written and executive produced by Sally Wainwright (Happy Valley, Last Tango in Halifax, Gentleman Jack). Roanna Benn (Doctor Foster, My Mad Fat Diary, Pure) is the executive producer for Drama Republic and the producer is Clare Shepherd (The A Word, Viewpoint, Kidnapped).
