Hot Flush BBC One: Yorkshire TV writer Sally Wainwright known for successful Halifax TV shows Happy Valley and Gentleman Jack returns with new BBC drama filmed in Hebden Bridge

The new drama was announced today (August 24) by director of BBC Drama, Lindsay Salt, at the Edinburgh TV Festival and will be available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Hot Flush is based on the lives of five women of a certain age who unite to create a makeshift, butt-of-the-joke punk rock band to enter a talent contest, but when they rehearse together they suddenly discover that they have a lot more to say than they ever thought, and this is the way to say it.

The six-part drama written by Sally Wainwright and produced by Drama Republic (Doctor Foster) follows the women as they navigate demanding jobs, grown-up children who still use up their energy, dependent parents, husbands who have disappointed them and menopause. The band becomes a catalyst for change in the women’s lives, and it is going to make them question everything.

The story, which is set in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, shows that their bond is formed by more than just the music; a deeply potent, long-buried secret connects Kitty and Beth, the two unlikely creative masterminds behind the band, and it’s a secret that could tear everything apart.

Writer and executive producer, Sally 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 Rock Follies of ‘77, and the feisty Little Ladies who woke me up to what I wanted to do with my life when I was 13.

“I’m thrilled to be working with Charlotte again at the BBC, looking forward hugely to working with Lindsay, and utterly delighted to (finally!) be working with Roanna again at Drama Republic.”

Executive producer, Roanna Benn, said: “I am truly over the moon to be working with the amazing Sally on her new show for the BBC. In Hot Flush, Sally has found a unique way to explore and celebrate female friendships that is bold, vital and true.

“In inimitable Sally-style, Hot Flush introduces us to brilliant and unforgettable characters; it is so funny, and simultaneously so full of drama, it will have you laughing and sitting on the edge of your seat.

“This is a show about the women who hold up modern Britain, their stories urgently need to be told, and who better than Sally Wainwright to do that.”

Lindsay Salt said: “We’re so excited to have the magnificent Sally Wainwright back writing on the BBC, with the brilliant Drama Republic team producing.

“Hot Flush is a sharply observed, vibrant and vital story of five very different women at the same stage in their lives, joined together by their love of music. But that’s just the start and - as you’d expect from Sally - there are twists and turns aplenty to keep viewers enthralled.”