Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright slams 'boring and samey soap operas'
Sally Wainwright admits she doesn't watch soap operas anymore because they've become 'a bit samey'. The Happy Valley creator and former Coronation Street writer revealed she'd actually become 'bored of the soaps' after some became 'melodramatic'.
Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, Sally opened up about her time on Corrie and discussed how much the daily television programmes have changed over the years following her stint in the writing room between 1994 and 1999, penning 58 episodes.
"I think one of the reasons I got bored of the soaps (is that) all the stories got a bit samey," she admitted. Referencing the amount of choice TV viewers now have, Sally added: "There is so much content, it is increasingly easy for people to turn over."
Sally discussed her time in the writing room for Corrie (Dave Benett/Getty Images)
She also weighed in on the modern TV world (Duncan McGlynn/REX/Shutterstock)She explained: "You’ve got to be captivating your audience moment by moment… its seems increasingly important." Discussing her time on Corrie, Sally revealed that she did not initially have the 'confidence' to contribute to storylines at Coronation Street.
Sally said she was 'in awe' of everyone who worked in the writer's room when she joined, which had two women within its 15-writer team at the time. Wainwright recalled that it was a time when writers would go to the pub at lunch which she said would mean the afternoon could be a 'bloodbath'
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She added: "It wasn’t a nasty atmosphere, it was very lively and often fun." Wainwright revealed that writing is how she can 'make sense of the world'. In a discussion with broadcaster Adrian Chiles, she reflected on how she began writing as a child with her sister creating strip cartoons and plays.
"It’s just a childhood habit that has continued," Sally explained. "I make sense of the world by writing about it. I also love the idea of writing dialogue, creating characters, I love the idea of making people say things, I love the actors and love the whole process of drama."
Sally is responsible for the popular programme Happy Valley (BBC/Red Productions)Wainwright noted that she feels even if she stopped getting commissioned she would continue to write but admitted that she is not as much a fan of novels as it is the dialogue where she feels the story comes 'alive'.
Earlier this year, Wainwright addressed the future of Catherine Cawood, played by Sarah Lancashire, in her blockbuster hit, Happy Valley. She spoke out on her own fears over whether the finale would do the series justice.
Speaking on Newsnight, Sally said: "I tend not to very get nervous anymore really, I'm kinda philosophical that it is what it is and people will respond how they respond."
"But I think because it appeared to be doing very well I was worried it might fall at the final hurdle and people might think it was a disappointing ending in some way but I kinda knew it wasn't. I knew it was what I wanted it to be," she continued.
"It was satisfying. I had a real choice about whether to end on a pessimistic note or an optimistic one. Which one of them was gonna survive but it was a no-brainer to end on an optimistic note with someone like Catherine. She's such a force for good."
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