Lancashire

Former Coronation Street star Sarah Lancashire ‘knew when to stop’ doing Happy Valley despite its major success, according to the show’s creator Sally Wainwright

Sarah Lancashire ‘knew when to stop’ doing Happy Valley despite its major success. The actress, 60, starred as Catherine Cawood in Sally Wainwright’s hit drama over the course of three series that were filmed over a decade, and even helped write its final episode, which pulled in almost 10 million viewers.

Despite the show’s incredible popularity, creator Sally, 62, insisted that a short run had always been agreed upon. She told The Sunday Times: “Sarah’s good at knowing when to stop and when to say no. There were a couple of things in the script that she wanted to question, and it was a good process.”

However, fans of the programme need not be disappointed as seasoned television writer Sally explained that she and Sarah, who won a BAFTA for her portrayal of policewoman Catherine, are already working on a new project together, insisting that they are ‘still friends’ and the character is ‘still there’ in their minds.

READ MORE: BAFTA TV Awards viewers fume as BBC drama Happy Valley snubbed for Best Drama SeriesREAD MORE: Sarah Lancashire’s life after Happy Valley – stepping back from acting to acclaim

As well as Happy Valley, Sally is also the creator of several other hit series such as Last Tango in Halifax and Gentleman Jack. She started out writing episodes of radio soap The Archers before going on to work on Coronation Street, which turned Sarah into a household name when she was cast as barmaid Raquel Wolstenhume, in the late 1990s.

Following the advice of late TV writer Kay Mellor, she went on to create At Home With The Braithwaites, which starred Amanda Redman as a woman who had won the lottery but tried to keep it all a secret from her dysfunctional family. Reflecting on those early days of her career writing episodes of the long-running ITV soap, Sally admitted that she worked with some ‘fabulously clever’ people at the time.

She said: “The Coronation Street storyline meetings were amazing. There were some fabulously clever story-makers. Dialogue comes easily, characters come easily, but story is relentlessly hard. I have to just really bash it out. With Happy Valley, I do pride myself on the last episode being just as good as the first episode.”

The scriptwriter previously admitted that she got ‘bored’ of writing for the soaps because of how all the stories had become so similar, and acknowledged that viewing habits have changed dramatically in recent years as streaming services have become the norm.

“I think one of the reasons I got bored of the soaps (is that) all the stories got a bit samey,” she admitted. Referencing the amount of choice TV viewers now have, Sally added: “There is so much content, it is increasingly easy for people to turn over.”

She explained: “You’ve got to be captivating your audience moment by moment… its seems increasingly important.” Discussing her time on Corrie, Sally revealed that she did not initially have the ‘confidence’ to contribute to storylines at Coronation Street.

Sally said she was ‘in awe’ of everyone who worked in the writer’s room when she joined, which had two women within its 15-writer team at the time. Wainwright recalled that it was a time when writers would go to the pub at lunch which she said would mean the afternoon could be a ‘bloodbath’

She added: “It wasn’t a nasty atmosphere, it was very lively and often fun.” Wainwright revealed that writing is how she can ‘make sense of the wppr;d’. In a discussion with broadcaster Adrian Chiles, she reflected on how she began writing as a child with her sister creating strip cartoons and plays.

“It’s just a childhood habit that has continued,” Sally explained. “I make sense of the world by writing about it. I also love the idea of writing dialogue, creating characters, I love the idea of making people say things, I love the actors and love the whole process of drama.”

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A SCHOOLGIRL has tragically died at her home, as friends and family pay heartbreaking tributes.

Emergency services attended a property on Manor House Lane, Preston, on Monday morning after reports of a sudden death.

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Nina Papierniok, 13, who was a pupil at Archbishop Temple Church of England High School, was found dead.

Lancashire Police have confirmed her death is not being treated as suspicious.

A report will be handed to the coroner in due course.

A spokesperson for the force said: “We were called to Manor House Lane, Preston, at 7.04am on September 15 following reports of a sudden death.

“Emergency services have attended and tragically found a 13-year-old girl deceased.

“Our thoughts are with her loved ones at this extremely distressing time.

“The girl’s death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be passed onto HM Coroner in due course.”

Friends and family have rallied round to launch a fundraiser in the Nina’s memory and as a way to support her loved ones.

It has already raised more than £9,500 in just a few days.

A post on the GoFundMe page says: “13-year-old Nina, the beloved daughter of our friend Justyna, passed away suddenly in the United Kingdom.

“Justyna is a single mother, and during this unimaginably difficult time, she needs our support to cover the funeral costs and to say a dignified farewell to her daughter.

“If you can – please support the fundraiser or share it with others.”

Blackpool is one of the UK’s most iconic seaside towns but just five miles away is a town that’s just as inviting yet totally different

With its tower, illuminated promenade and Pleasure Beach amusement park, Blackpool is one of the most well-known seaside towns in the UK, attracting around 20 million tourists every year.

But a smaller town, just five miles south, slips under the radar of holidaymakers. I visited Lytham St Annes, historically a fishing and shrimping harbour with a Victorian pier and golden beach, to see exactly how it was different to its famous neighbour.

I parked up close to St Annes Pier before having a stroll along the seafront and the first thing I noticed was how quiet and peaceful it was — a far cry from the hectic nature of a tourism giant like Blackpool.

“It’s a lot different here and it’s less frenetic,” Janet Ruanne tells me as she sits on a bench with her husband Martin. “We love it here. We’ve got the beach so close and there’s many nice places to walk. We come to the promenade basically every day, it’s lovely.”

The couple are from East Lancashire but moved to Lytham St Annes five years ago. They believe they have a beach worthy of rivalling any in the area, including Blackpool’s.

Mrs Ruanne, 67, says: “I think we’ve got one of the best beaches on this whole coastline. The people here are so friendly too which you don’t get everywhere else. It’s just a lovely place to come to.”

Mr Ruanne, 72, adds: “You’ll notice the beach here is really clean. They have a good group of volunteers who come and clean the beach regularly.”

From the South Promenade I walked towards and through the pier. It is located directly in front of the main high street, surrounded by a bandstand, Victorian shelters and seafront gardens.

St Annes Pier was built in 1885 and cost £18,000. Built from cast iron and wood, the structure was one of the first public buildings in St Annes.

It was restored in 2018 and now features a host of amusement games perfect for young families to enjoy. The open-air end of the pier boasts stunning coastal views across St Annes seafront and towards Blackpool.

It was here that I met Jenny Shaw who was visiting the area with her family. They are from Chesterfield, in Derbyshire, and visit Lytham St Annes most summers.

“We normally come in the summer holidays. It’s flat which makes it easy to walk around and enjoy,” she says. “The beach is lovely and there’s some nice parks. I think the town centre is underrated too – there’s plenty of places to eat and drink.”

While Blackpool can sometimes be tarred with a bad reputation for antisocial behaviour in its busiest months, Mrs Shaw says this is not the case with Lytham St Annes. “There’s no bad behaviour here. I think bits of Blackpool are quite grim but you don’t get that in Lytham. Everyone is really friendly and lovely,” she explains.

Lytham St Annes’ beach has miles of golden sand and is lined by iconic beach huts. It strikes me as a quintessentially British and timeless beach, perfect for leisurely walks and family activities.

Relaxing on the beach are Chris and Wendy Moden. The pair are visiting Lytham St Annes from Bolton and think it’s the perfect place to come for young families.

Mr Moden, 70, says: “We’ve got two grandchildren – aged six and four. We’d definitely bring them here, I think it’s perfect for a holiday.”

He tells me the family also enjoy visiting Fairhaven Lake, which is located between Lytham and St Annes. The saltwater lake offers a variety of activities, including boat rodes, nature walks, a play park and an area for bird watching.

He adds: “It’s a lot better than Blackpool. It’s a lot cleaner and less busy which I think people appreciate. Every time we come here we feel like we’ve had a good day out.”

Mrs Moden then chimes in: “Everyone is so friendly here. There’s never any trouble. We can come for a quiet walk along the beach and the views are beautiful.”

The promenade and pier are conveniently located close to the main high street. There are a number of shops and cafes on St Annes Road West including big name retailers and independent businesses.

Hazel, who did not want to give her surname, has lived in the town since she was five years old. She is sat in the town centre after doing some shopping.

“I think I’ve had a great life here really. We’re so lucky to live in a place like this. I always like going to sit down at the beach. We’re just very lucky really.”

According to Hazel, Lytham St Annes is far quieter and more relaxed than its famous neighbour.

“Blackpool always get really busy and noisy. It was terrible last time I visited – it was far too much,” she explains. “It’s a lot quieter here which I like. It’s cleaner too as we get less tourists.

“There’s also less antisocial behaviour here I think, although we get some. Just like everywhere, you’ve got some nicer and less nice bits.”

If you’re after an action-packed seaside holiday with lively nightlife and entertainment, then Blackpool will remain your place.

But if you prefer a more relaxed and peaceful holiday, then Lytham St Annes is probably going to be a better option. It boasts charm and natural beauty, as well as a slower pace of life.

A WOMAN has tragically died in hospital after she was pulled from the sea at a popular UK beach.

Emergency services raced to the scene on the Promenade, opposite the Belvedere Hotel in Blackpool yesterday.

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Lancashire Police, HM Coastguard and the town’s beach patrol all responded to the incident.

Officers have confirmed that a woman in her 30s was rushed to hospital after receiving treatment on the scene.

She has since sadly passed away and her next of kin has been informed.

Cops said the tragic death is not being treated as suspicious, a file is being prepared for the coroner.

A spokesperson for the force said: “We were called at about 10am today, August 25, following reports a woman had been pulled from the sea opposite the Belvedere Hotel at Blackpool.

“Despite the best efforts of emergency services at the scene and at the hospital, the woman sadly later died.

“Following enquiries, the woman, in her thirties, has now been identified and her next of kin has been informed.

“Our thoughts are with her loved ones.

“The death is not being treated as suspicious, and a file will be prepared for HM Coroner.”

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A SEASIDE town made famous by former world heavy-weight boxing champ Tyson Fury is on the ropes.

Gritty ITV cop drama ‘The Bay’ attracts five million viewers, but has done nothing to restore Morecambe’s fortunes as a tourist and holidaying hotspot.

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Dilapidated buildings, boarded up shops, closed hotels, and vandalised shopping arcades blight the Lancashire seaside resort.

And homeless down-and-outs, swigging cans during the day, plague the streets.

Morecambe FC has been besieged with talks of going under after 105 years, with the beleaguered club enduring a chaotic summer since being relegated from League Two, with staff and players not even paid.

Some football club workers have been offered food parcels. As it stands, the National League club is on the brink of extinction, though takeover talks continue.

Eden Project Morecambe – a sister to the popular Eden bio-spheres in Cornwall – is hoped to breath new life into the area and bring tourists flocking back to the resort. But that is at least three years away.

Brother and sister Liam, 14, and Lola, nine, were visiting Morecambe from their native Canada and were drawn to the vandalised and graffitied former shopping arcade, which is fenced off to the public due to a rusted and collapsing roof.

They were accompanied by their aunt and nan Kay Robinson, 73, who remembers the good old days of the seaside resort.

It used to boast such attractions as the Super Swimming Stadium lido, the pleasure park Frontierland and sea life centre Marineland.

“It’s gone down hill since the 1970s,” said Kay.

“There used to be fairgrounds, illuminations, an amazing swimming pool, there used to be everything. We liked coming here better than Blackpool.

“Even the outdoor market has gone now. Everything has gone or is going now.

“You can’t go round the pubs like you used to, it used to be a great night out around Morecambe, but not now.”

Visitors love taking selfies beside the statue of the late comedian Eric Morecambe, which was unveiled on the promenade by Queen Elizabeth II in 1999.

Holidaymakers Paul and Alison Johnson, from Glossop, posed with grandson Ralphie, eight, as they enjoyed the summer sunshine.

Paul, 59, who has visited Morecambe over the years, said: “It seems to be getting cleaner, now this sea front has been done up.

“We have a caravan near here.”

Alison, 51 said: “It’s lovely in the sunshine.”

But directly opposite the iconic bronze tourist attraction stands reminders of the resort’s decline.

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Standing side-by-side, Eric’s Cafe and the Tivoli Bar, are closed down at what should be the height of the summer season.

And the town centre, just a streets from the prom, is lined with abandoned shops, closed down pubs and eateries and empty banks.

A homeless rough sleeper was slouched by the entrance to the tired Arndale Centre, which stands beside a boarded-up pawnbrokers and opposite empty shops and the shell of the former Santander bank.

In a shaded doorway down a run-down street a couple of scruff-looking men, one sitting beside his crutches, were swigging from cans of super-strength Oranjeboom beers, as parents and kids walked past.

Back on the sunny promenade where the popular outdoor swimming pool, which used to be home of the Miss Great Britain beauty contest between 1956 and 1989, John and Lynda Ritchie were taking a stroll.

“This is where they are going to build the Eden centre, if it ever gets off the ground,” said John, 80, visiting with wife Lynda, 80, from Kendal.

“It can’t come soon enough. It’ll hopefully save the town.”

“We used to bring our lads here to swim in the pool, but it is such a shame what it is like now,” said Lynda.

“Hopefully things will change when the Eden Project comes, but I wish they’d hurry up, I’d like to see it.

“The place has very much gone down hill, as many seaside towns have since people started to go abroad.”

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First-time visitors David and Lynn Buswell, from Leicestershire, were walking their Staffie Tyson – aptly named as Morecambe is the home town of former world heavyweight champ Tyson Fury – along the prom after parking up their motorhome.

“Never been here before. I’m here because my mum and dad had a photo taken with the Eric Morecambe statue and we want to recreate it,” said David, 64, a music producer.

“It looks like an average, typical English seaside town, nothing special. Okay for the kids, but not us.

“We will be parking up the motorhome for one night – not for two though. I think we will be moving on.”

Lynn, 69, said: “We have just come down from the Lake District, which was beautiful. This is a stark contrast.”

South of the town centre, the Cumberland View pub is boarded up.

Beside the former almost seafront railway station – closed now and turned into a pub – is the Festival Market.

Trains, no longer full or excited holiday makers and day trippers from West Yorkshire, now pull in to a dowdy wooden platform next to a boarded up former restaurant 500 yards of more inland.

Festival Market trader Karen Brown, 66, has been running her stall The Beauty Box for 50 years, and has seen the decline of the town.
“The place has gone really down hill since the glory days. The job is tougher now,” said Karen.

“I don’t do too bad in summer with the tourists. They come to buy things. But, in winter, the locals don’t tend to to use the market. They should do, they’ll whinge if it goes.

“The visitors come round saying what a lovely market it is and they appreciate it, but the locals, not so much.”

Fellow market trader Julie Norris, 58, has run sweet stall, Sweet Tweets, for five years.

“I’m finding trading in Morecambe alright because all the other sweet shops are shutting down,” said Julie.

“The kids are coming here for their holiday treats. And we also do well from people coming here to buy snacks and sweets before going to the cinema next door.

“They don’t want to pay rip-off cinema prices so stock up here before going to see a film.

“I love working here and if the Eden Project comes it will be fantastic. It’ll be very family orientated.”

Tyson Fury

Fury is arguably the town’s biggest name, living in the area with his wife Paris and their seven children there.

And today, it was revealed that he had sold a property in the area – for a knockdown price of £700,000.

Speaking last year, he told TNT: “17 years, it’s become my home. A new home, away from home. I actually cast myself now as from Morecambe, I don’t say I’m from Manchester anymore.

“It’s been keeping me grounded – I have always likened Morecambe to Alcatraz island… because if you go 200m that way you hit the sea, and if you go a couple of miles that way you hit the M6 motorway, and you’ve got to drive an hour to get to any city.

“It’s a big island, there’s not much distractions, there’s not much stuff to do, you can’t spend your money here because there’s nothing to spend it on, apart from Asda… That’s it, really, it’s a good place for a fighter…

“It’s kept me grounded, away from all the limelight.”

He added that locals are very respectful and leave him alone when he goes for runs. “If I go to any other city in the world, oomph Elvis has landed.”

The “Gypsy King” has previously expressed interest in buying Morecambe FC and told talkSPORT: “I was thinking I invest X amount of millions in them. Basically throw it at them and keep them going up. I’ve been offered to buy Morecambe Football Club.

“I own all the training facilities anyway and the training gym. So who knows? You might be looking at a football club owner.”

The Tyson Fury Foundation sits in the north-east corner of the football club’s Mazuma Mobile Stadium.

However, the Telegraph has claimed that Fury currently has no interest in buying the Shrimps.

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