A Passionate Woman
{{Short description|2010 British miniseries}}
{{use British English|date=October 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox television
| image =
| caption =
| genre = Drama
| writer = Kay Mellor
| director = Antonia Bird
Kay Mellor
| starring = Billie Piper
Theo James
Joe Armstrong
Sue Johnston
Kelly Harrison
| composer = Mark Bradshaw
| language = English
| country = United Kingdom
| location = Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
| executive_producer = Nicola Shindler
Polly Hill
Hugo Heppell
| producer = Yvonne Francas
| runtime = 90 minutes (x2)
| company = Rollem Productions in association with Screen Yorkshire for BBC
| network = BBC One
| first_aired = {{start date|2010|4|11|df=yes}}
| last_aired = {{end date|2010|4|18|df=yes}}
| num_series = 1
| num_episodes = 2
}}
A Passionate Woman is a British two-part drama miniseries that aired on BBC One from 11 to 18 April 2010. It was written by Kay Mellor, an adaptation of her 1992 stage play, inspired by her mother's life story.
Plot
In the 1950s Yorkshire, Betty Stevenson, a married mother of one, falls in love with her Polish neighbour, Alex Crazenovski, aka "Craze." The two begin an affair, and Craze sends a letter to Betty asking her to run away with him. She responds in kind, and her letter is found by Craze's pregnant wife, who promptly seeks him out at the fairground where he works and shoots him dead. With her lover dead, Betty continues her life with her husband Donald and baby Mark.{{cite news|last1=Walton|first1=James|title=Foyle's War, ITV1, review|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/7572778/Foyles-War-ITV1-review.html|accessdate=14 October 2016|date=9 April 2010}}
The story then moves forward to the 1980s as Mark gets married and her affair becomes public knowledge.
Inspiration
Kay Mellor was inspired to write the story after her mother confessed to having an affair with a Polish neighbour in the 1950s when living in a poorer area of Leeds.{{cite news|last1=Stelfox|first1=Hilarie|title=Kay Mellor's A Passionate Woman comes to Lawrence Batley Theatre|url=http://www.examiner.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/kay-mellors-passionate-woman-comes-12021555|accessdate=14 October 2016|work=Huddersfield Daily Examiner|date=14 October 2016}} Just like the story, the unnamed Pole was killed, which ended her mother's affair which she had kept secret for 30 years before revealing all.{{cite news|last1=Clayton|first1=Emma|title=Bradford actors join a big-name cast in writer Kay Mellor's moving family drama|url=http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/7990612.Home_grown_stars____slice_of_passion/|access-date=14 October 2016|work=Telegraph & Argus|date=8 April 2010}} Mellor explained that with her mother being dead for three years, it was a way of bringing her back to life.{{cite news|title=Passionate Billie Piper|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/showbiz-news/passionate-billie-piper-602056|access-date=14 October 2016|work=Manchester Evening News|date=12 January 2013}}
The work was originally a play that had first been performed at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in 1992 before moving on to the West End theatre. Mellor admitted that the film rights had been mooted, but she feared the production would end up with "...Cher on a rooftop in Detroit".{{cite news|last1=Holmwood|first1=Leigh|title=Billie Piper to follow Doctor Who with BBC1's A Passionate Woman|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/sep/29/billie-piper-bbc-a-passionate-woman|access-date=14 October 2016|work=The Guardian|date=29 September 2009}}
Filming locations
Filmed in 2009, Screen Yorkshire invested {{£|250000|link=yes}} ({{Inflation|UK|250000|2009|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-2}}) in the programme and supplied crew for the filming locations.{{cite news|title=Billie Piper films in Leeds for BBC drama|url=http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/billie-piper-films-in-leeds-for-bbc-drama-1-2233325|accessdate=14 October 2016|work=Yorkshire Evening Post|date=10 November 2009}} External scenes were filmed at Roundhay Park, Hyde Terrace, Hyde Park Cinema, Blenheim Square and the City Centre Market in Leeds. Additional filming was done at Bradford City Hall, St Luke's Hospital, and King's Hall and Winter Gardens in Bradford.{{Cite web|last=Clayton|first=Emma|date=8 April 2010|title=Home-grown stars' slice of passion|url=https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/7990612.bradford-actors-join-a-big-name-cast-in-writer-kay-mellors-moving-family-drama/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019112655/https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/7990612.bradford-actors-join-a-big-name-cast-in-writer-kay-mellors-moving-family-drama/ |archive-date=19 October 2020 |access-date=19 October 2020|website=Bradford Telegraph and Argus|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Clayton|first=Emma|date=11 April 2010|title=BBC drama filmed in Ilkley, Bradford|url=https://www.ilkleygazette.co.uk/news/8089846.billie-piper-and-sue-johnston-star-in-new-kay-mellor-production/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022172126/https://www.ilkleygazette.co.uk/news/8089846.billie-piper-and-sue-johnston-star-in-new-kay-mellor-production/ |archive-date=22 October 2020 |access-date=19 October 2020|website=Ilkley Gazette|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Blow|first=John|date=6 January 2020|title=These Yorkshire films and TV shows will already be a decade old in 2020|url=https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/these-yorkshire-films-and-tv-shows-will-already-be-decade-old-2020-1356471|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200106215846/https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/these-yorkshire-films-and-tv-shows-will-already-be-decade-old-2020-1356471 |archive-date=6 January 2020 |access-date=19 October 2020|website=www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk|language=en}} Other parts were also recorded at Studio 81 in Leeds.{{cite web|title=A Passionate Woman|url=http://www.screenyorkshire.co.uk/showcase/a-passionate-woman/|website=Screen Yorkshire|accessdate=14 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018203840/http://www.screenyorkshire.co.uk/showcase/a-passionate-woman/|archive-date=18 October 2016|url-status=dead}}
Episodes
{{Episode table |total_width=60 |overall= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |overallT=# |directorT=Director |writerT=Writer |airdateT=Original airdate |episodes=
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 1
| Title = Episode 1
| DirectedBy = Kay Mellor and Antonia Bird
| WrittenBy = Kay Mellor
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|2010|4|11|df=yes}}
| ShortSummary =
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 2
| Title = Episode 2
| DirectedBy = Kay Mellor and Antonia Bird
| WrittenBy = Kay Mellor
| OriginalAirDate = {{start date|2010|4|18|df=yes}}
| ShortSummary =
}}
}}
Polish adaptation
{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2024}}
In 2009, Maciej Englert directed a Polish adaptation of the original play. The main roles were played by Marta Lipińska, Piotr Adamczyk and Krzysztof Kowalewski.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{BBC programme}}
- {{IMDb title}}
{{Kay Mellor}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Passionate Woman, A}}
Category:2010 British television series debuts
Category:2010 British television series endings
Category:2010s British drama television series
Category:BBC television dramas
Category:BBC high definition shows
Category:2010s British television miniseries
Category:Television shows set in West Yorkshire
Category:Television shows shot in Bradford
Category:Television shows shot in Leeds
Category:British English-language television shows