‘I thought I was losing my mind’: Leeds actress Gaynor Faye to channel her experience of menopause in new film

In recent years, the actress and writer who is famous for roles in Coronation Street, Emmerdale, and The Syndicate, has turned her attention behind the camera. As creative managing director of Rollem Productions, founded by her mother, the late legendary writer Kay Mellor OBE. But now Gaynor is returning to her “first love” of acting as she takes on the lead role in a new comedy centred on the menopause.

Hot Flash, written by Jan Birley and directed by Kathryn Carmichael, focuses on Geri (Gaynor Faye), a failed hairdresser facing the challenges of midlife, motherhood, and the menopause. Geri has a dream to design an app but when an opportunity knocks on her door, what will she do with it?

For Gaynor, reading Jan Birley’s script instantly made her want to be part of the project.

Gaynor said: “Jan is an incredible woman and she’s an amazing writer. She’s written a story which is so close to home for me on so many levels; I’m from Yorkshire which she champions, I’m a woman of a certain age which she champions, and she’s a woman writer that knows all about the menopause. It’s great that she’s putting it out there on the big screen.”

The menopause is a topic which is widely underrepresented in film. In fact, the Geena Davis Institute found that out of 225 films prominently featuring a 40-plus female character released between 2009 and 2024, just 6% include any reference to the menopause.

Gaynor hopes that Hot Flash will bring the impacts of the hormonal shift into mainstream conversation. Gaynor said: “I fell into the menopause and didn’t realise what was happening to me. I thought I was losing my mind, I thought I was depressed, I didn’t know what was going on. I think it’s great that now we are highlighting the menopause and more and more people are willing to speak freely about it because for a long time it was a big taboo.”

Hot Flash mixes humour and sensitivity to shift the taboo around the menopause. It treats menopausal symptoms like brain fog, nausea, and hot flashes, not as something to hide but instead as a simple part of life. Hot Flash will film around Yorkshire across February with set locations including Sewerby and Scarborough. Gaynor, who herself is from Leeds, sees this as an opportunity to spotlight the region and the people within it.

She said: “Yorkshire is where my heart is and where it always will be. It has such a wonderful wealth of people, language and scenery. The main thing about Yorkshire is that the people are warm, friendly, and they’re like the salt of the earth.”

Gaynor sees Hot Flash as a celebration of midlife women and a tale of triumph over adversity too. She wants female audiences of the film to feel like they are represented on screen.

Gaynor said: “I really want audiences to feel seen, heard, and like they aren’t suffering alone. When you hit this state of your life, there’s a part of you that feels invisible. To be made to feel visible and that you are part of a majority not a minority is wonderful.”

To keep up with Hot Flash as production progresses, follow @hotflash.film on Instagram.