Who was Kay Mellor? Tributes pour in as acclaimed writer and actor dies aged 71

Kay Mellor recently died at the age of 71 (Image via Dominic Lipinski/Getty Images)

Popular scriptwriter and actress Kay Mellor recently passed away at the age of 71. She was mostly known as the writer of British dramas like The Syndicate and Band of Gold. Her production company, Rollem Productions, issued a statement and said,

“It is with profound sadness that we announce the untimely and sudden passing of our beloved friend, mentor and colleague Kay Mellow on Sunday 15 May 2022. We have lost a phenomenal talent and a true luminary. We ask that you please respect the privacy of the family and friends at this time.”

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Everything known about Kay Mellor

Born on May 11, 1951, Mellor’s father was Catholic and her mother was Jewish. She became pregnant when she was 16 and married the child’s father, Anthony Mellor, who was 17.

Mellor finished her education later when her children were of school age. She enrolled at Bretton Hall College and graduated in 1983 with a BA Hons degree.

Kay Mellor was a famous actress, scriptwriter and director (Image via Mike Lawn/Getty Images)

She first worked for Granada Television in 1980s and wrote for the soap opera Coronation Street. She wrote many episodes of the Channel 4 soap Brookside in 1989. She then wrote the anthology drama series Dramarama and was the co-creator of the children’s drama, Children’s Ward.

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Mellor created the soap opera Families and wrote and starred in three series of the family show, Just Us, from 1990 to 1994. She wrote for many television drama series including Band of Gold, Between the Sheets, Strictly Confidential, and more.

She was also successful as an actress as she appeared in her adaptation of Jane Eyre and other series and films like A Good Thief and Gifted. She was the writer and director of the drama, A Passionate Woman, which was inspired by her parents’ marriage.

Kay wrote the BBC drama The Syndicate in 2012 and her BBC series, In the Club, ran for two seasons following its debut in 2014. Her drama series Love, Lies and Records debuted in 2017 followed by her ITV drama series, Girlfriends, premiering in 2018.

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Mellor won the BAFTA Dennis Potter Award in 1997 for Outstanding Writing for Television. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2009 Birthday Honors. She was made a Fellow of the Royal Television Society in 2016.

She also wrote screenplays for feature films like Girls’ Night. She wrote and directed the feature film Fanny and Elvis in 1999.

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Netizens pay tribute on Twitter

Kay Mellor gained recognition over the years as a talented actress and writer. Twitter was flooded with tributes when people heard about her death:

She is survived by her husband Anthony Mellor and their two children - television producer Yvonne Francas and actress Gaynor Faye.