Sally Wainwright new show: BBC series Hot Flush from Happy Valley creator celebrates ‘women of a certain age’

Hot Flush, a new BBC series from Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright follows a group of women who form a punk band and enter a talent show.

Wainwright is best known as the creator, executive producer on uber-popular BBC crime drama Happy Valley, about no-nonsense West Yorkshire police sergeant Catherine Cawood and her eternal battle with her later daughter’s ex-partner Tommy Lee Royce. 

She also created Scott & Bailey, Last Tango in Halifax, and Gentlemen Jack, and has written for many more drama series, including the upcoming fantasy drama The Ballad of Renegade Nell.

Happy Valley came to a dramatic conclusion earlier this year and fans have been waiting to hear what else Wainwright has in the pipeline.

Her newest project was announced, along with a raft of other exciting BBC shows, at the Edinburgh TV festival. 

What is Hot Flush about?

Wainwright’s new drama series Hot Flush was announced today (Thursday) on the second day of the Edinburgh TV festival.

The series follows five women coping with work, grown-up children, dependent parents, husbands and the menopause. Set in Hebden Bridge, where much of Happy Valley was filmed, the six-part series will follow the women as they create a band in order to enter a talent contest.

Speaking of her new series, Wainwright said: “I’ve been wanting to write a series like this for a long time. It’s a celebration of women of a certain age, and all the life stuff they suddenly find themselves negotiating/dealing with.

“The show is also my own personal homage to (musical drama) Rock Follies Of ’77, and the feisty (band from the show) Little Ladies who woke me up to what I wanted to do with my life when I was 13.”

Executive producer Roanna Benn, said: “[Hot Flush] is about the women who hold up modern Britain, their stories urgently need to be told, and who better than Sally Wainwright to do that”.

What other BBC shows have been announced?

• The Jetty - a four-part thriller about a Lancashire rookie detective, played by Jenna Coleman, who looks into a podcast journalist investigating missing people, a fire at a holiday home and a man having a relationship with underage girls
• Virdee - a detective series, based on AA Dhand’s Bradford-based crime novels and starring Sacha Dhawan
• A six-part as-yet-untitled mystery thriller about a self-made businesswoman from the writer of Mood, Nicole Lecky
• Better Off Dead - Documentary from disability rights activist and Silent Witness star Liz Carr, explores the issue of assisted dying
• Black Ops season 2 - The comedy thriller series has been commissioned for a second series

When is the release date of Hot Flush?

A release date has not yet been confirmed for the new BBC series, as the show has only just been announced. It is likely that it will air some time in 2024. Watch this space for updates on the Hot Flush release date, cast updates, and a trailer.