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I spent Tuesday lunchtime with a well-known and highly respected writer: Sally Wainwright, the woman behind 主播大秀 One hits Happy Valley and Last Tango in Halifax. Sadly it wasn’t a private tête-à-tête in the 主播大秀 canteen, I had to share Sally with 主播大秀 One Controller Charlotte Moore and loads of other 主播大秀 staff and media industry professionals at the talk, organised as part of Reflect and Represent. 

Now in its second year, Reflect and Represent is a week of events at the 主播大秀 in Cardiff, Salford and London, looking at “on and off screen diversity from casting and writing to recruiting and developing a more diverse workforce”. Events have included: The audience in the 2020s; Making Diversity Pay; Islam: Are we getting it right?; The Unusual Suspects - Success stories of Diverse Casting; Women in technology: What glass ceiling!?; and New perspectives – attracting and keeping the best talent, to name just a few.

In keeping with the week’s topic Charlotte Moore kicked off proceedings asking Sally how deliberate the diversity in her writing is. She explained that she just tries to write complex and flawed central characters – who often happen to be women.

Later Charlotte asked why Sally felt women are sometimes misrepresented in drama on television: “Because it’s mostly written by men” came the candid answer. Sally went on to say that in conversations she has had with Nicola Schindler (her collaborator at Red productions) she discovered that of the scripts that company receives, the majority are by men. Sally thinks it’s down to confidence; that women are afraid of failing, she also said children and lifestyle probably play a part.

She went on to reveal that directing an episode of Happy Valley was an important moment for her, and talked about the dearth of women directors in the industry. Again she cited confidence as a factor.

Sally talked about how she started out writing for The Archers after having dreamed of writing in her teens – apparently at school she had to write a list of three things she wanted to achieve in her life. Her list said: 1. Write for Coronation Street, 2. Be a guest on This Is Your Life and 3. Own a Rolls Royce.  She went on to say she’s achieved the first, been a guest on (“So that covers the second one”) and she has a Bentley. 

Her advice to aspiring writers was to, “write about what interests you and what you know… think about what’s particular to you”. And admitted that for writers having a good agent is half the battle.

On the topic of diversity she also expressed concern about not only the lack of women and people of colour in the industry, but also about ‘class’. The majority of those working in television, she says, are not working class, and have been to private school which she feels gives the confidence that is so key in succeeding.

I left the talk feeling energised by Sally’s frankness and excited about what’s to come from her - especially the second series of Happy Valley which she’s currently writing. And if writers like her can inspire the next generation of diverse writing talent encouraging them to be confident, television drama could look very different in the years to come. 

 Hannah Khalil is Producer, About the 主播大秀 Website and blog