Kay Mellor, who was born in Leeds and was best known for writing programs such as Fat Friends, which aired from 2000 to 2005 and was made into a musical, died on Sunday.
Kay Mellor, who scripted smash shows like ITV’s Girlfriends, Band of Gold, and The Syndicate, died at the age of 71.
Mellor, who was born in Leeds and was most known for writing programs such as Fat Friends, which aired from 2000 to 2005 and was later made into a musical, died on Sunday.
“It is with great grief that we announce the untimely and abrupt departure of our dear friend, mentor, and colleague Kay Mellor on Sunday 15th May 2022,” stated a spokeswoman for her TV production firm, Rollem Productions.
“We’ve lost a tremendous talent and a real luminary.” We respectfully request that you respect the privacy of the family and friends at this time.”
She began her career as a playwright, then went on to work on Coronation Street and produce the award-winning children’s drama Children’s Ward.
She also wrote the BBC One women’s football program Playing The Field and was awarded an OBE in 2010. The Bafta-nominated series Fat Friends starred James Corden, Ruth Jones, Alison Steadman, and Mellor’s youngest daughter, Gaynor Faye, and was set in Leeds.
Faye has also been in Coronation Street, Emmerdale, and The Chase on BBC One, which she co-created with her mother.
Mellor featured on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs in 2017 and picked Perfect 10, the Fat Friends theme song, as one of her soundtracks, adding, “every time I heard it, I used to feel excited and get butterflies.”
“It was such a great moment in my life,” she recalled, “and it was a play that was extremely significant to me because I believed I had something to say about weight and body image.”
