Kay Mellor, the Leeds-born writer behind the hit TV series Fat Friends and Girlfriends, has died suddenly aged 71.
Rollem Productions, an independent production company that was set up by Kay Mellor in 2000, announced the news of Mellor’s death as “untimely” and “sudden” on Twitter.
Led by Mellor, the company has gone on to produce a range of shows including The Syndicate, In the Club and Love, Lies & Records, and said it has “lost a phenomenal talent and true luminary”.
It is with profound sadness that we announce the untimely and sudden passing of our beloved friend, mentor and colleague Kay Mellor on Sunday 15th 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. pic.twitter.com/hMyPd84jF2
— Rollem Productions (@RollemProdCo) May 17, 2022
Initially starting her career off writing plays, Mellor has previously worked on Coronation Street and created children’s drama Children’s Ward. She also wrote BBC One’s women’s football series Playing The Field and in 2010 received an OBE for her services to drama. Those across the broadcast and media world paid tribute to Mellor this morning, including one memory from Yorkshire Evening Post’s Digital Editor Andrew Hutchinson who posted a snap from a Fat Friends scene filmed in the newsroom from 2000.
BBC journalist Tracy Gee added on Twitter: “Shocked and saddened [to] hear this. What a fantastic woman and friend of BBC Leeds Kay was”.
