We sat down with Gaynor Faye — actress, producer and daughter of the legendary Kay Mellor — to talk about her new film Hot Flash, what the menopause really feels like from a woman living it, and why she is determined to put the ladder down for the next generation of women in TV.
My Research Was Really the Lived Experience
Preparing for her latest project was not exactly a stretch because for Gaynor Faye, the role came looking for her.
“The research was partly just the fact that I’m living it. I literally feel like I am Geri, the character I was playing.”
But she did not stop at personal experience. Gaynor immersed herself in the wider conversation: attending menopause groups, tuning into podcasts, going along to Well Women events — the kind of spaces where women look at each other with a mixture of relief and recognition.
“They make you feel like you’re not alone when you’re thinking, Am I going out of my mind? What’s happening to my skin, my brain, my body?”
Central to the project was the creative relationship between Gaynor and writer Jan Birley which is a partnership built on shared experience rather than research notes.
“Jan is on the other side of the menopause; I’m going into it or in the middle of it. Our director was in it too. So we were a group of women who could completely relate to everything Jan had written. That’s how the research happened, from the inside out.”
We Are in So Many Ways, Just Getting Started
The hope Gaynor carries for Hot Flash goes well beyond good reviews. She wants women to feel seen and men to finally understand what that means.
“I really want women to stop feeling invisible. We are not past it or has-beens. We are, in so many ways, just getting started. I want people to rejoice in this change rather than dread it.”
She says the stakes are more than emotional. The cognitive effects of the menopause are so significant that some women genuinely mistake them for early dementia, and that silence costs people dearly.
“When women feel seen, heard, and represented on screen, they don’t feel like they’re going mad. Representation matters.”
And for Gaynor herself, there is something she is quietly looking forward to on the other side.
“I’m a natural people-pleaser, and that’s exhausting. Getting to the other side and finding that balance, still caring about people, just not quite so much about their opinion of me, that sounds like a very good place to be.”
>> Read another exclusive interview with star of Hollyoaks and Strictly, Ali Bastian, who opens up on her health battles and why she’d love a return to our screens.
“I Would Love to Get Back Into Comedy”
Ask Gaynor about her TV wishlist and the answer comes quickly, and it’s not the prestige drama you might expect.
“I’d love something action-heavy — I’m very active, so that would be great fun. Something kooky, like Wednesday, appeals to me as well. But most of all I’d love to get back into comedy.”
It is a return to her roots. Her earliest roles, including Judy Mallett in Coronation Street, and Lauren in Fat Friends, were built on comic timing as much as emotional depth.
“In Hot Flash I get to play a lot of comedic moments, so I’m hoping that opens some doors.”
There is also, she admits, a quiet frustration about how the years running her mother’s production company may have blurred her identity for some.
“I think because I’ve been running my mother’s company for quite a while now, people sometimes forget that I’m an actor first – that acting is my first love. There are so many great things being made right now, and I’d love to be part of them.”
My Mum Gave Ruth Her First Writing Job
The mention of Fat Friends opens a door to a remarkable piece of television history, one Gaynor tells with a mix of pride and quiet wonder.
“They actually started writing Gavin and Stacey while they were on Fat Friends. I didn’t even know that until someone told me!”
It turns out the story of how Ruth Jones found her writing voice is deeply connected to Kay Mellor. Ruth approached Kay with a desire to write; Kay invited her in, gave her a piece to work on, and the rest followed.
“She came to story conferences, honed her skills, and then she and James went off and wrote Gavin and Stacey which was just fantastic.”
The friendship has endured. And so has Gaynor’s admiration.
“I still speak to Ruth all the time; we’re really good pals. She’s doing incredible things now, and she’s such a genuinely humble person. I love her dearly.”
There is a legacy thread running through all of it and Gaynor knows it.
“My mum started Ruth off, and I’m just keeping that tradition going, supporting new writers and giving people a leg up. That’s part of her legacy.”
We Have to Keep Pushing
The question of women’s representation in television gets a measured, honest answer — the kind that acknowledges progress without pretending the job is done.
“We’ve definitely come a long way, but there’s still a long way to go. There are many more female directors, writers, and shows that put women front and centre. But I still feel there’s quite a large gap.”
On Hot Flash, that gap was addressed deliberately, with a female director, a female director of photography, and an active commitment to mentoring the next wave of women writers.
“My mum started that tradition, and I’m keeping it going as part of her legacy, supporting women and putting the ladder down so others can climb up. There’s much more happening now, but we have to keep pushing.”
It is, in the end, a very Gaynor Faye kind of answer: generous, grounded, and looking forward rather than back. Hot Flash sounds like exactly the sort of film the moment needs.
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