Sally Wainwright Biography: Sally Anne Wainwright OBE (b. 1963) is an English television writer, producer, and director. She is well-known for her dramas, which frequently take place in her native West Yorkshire and feature “strong female characters”. Wainwright has received accolades for the quality of her discourse. Wainwright began her career as a playwright for the long-running radio drama The Archers and later worked on the television soap operas Emmerdale and Coronation Street in the 1990s. Her first original drama, At Home with the Braithwaites, aired from 2000 to 2003. Following two self-described “flops” in the mid-2000s, Wainwright achieved success with Unforgiven (2009), for which she received the Royal Television Society’s Writer of the Year Award. Her subsequent projects has included Scott & Bailey (2011-2016), Last Tango in Halifax (2012-2020).
Sally Wainwright Biography 2025
Wainwright, a British drama writer, director, and producer, earned BAFTAs for the rural thriller “Happy Valley,” whose long-awaited third and final season aired earlier this year, as well as “Last Tango in Halifax,” about a love affair between a couple in their 70s, which ran for five seasons. She received a BAFTA nomination for, among other things, “Gentleman Jack,” a historical drama about a lesbian trailblazer that premiered on HBO. Wainwright was named the writer and executive producer of the BBC drama series “Riot Women,” which will follow a group of middle-aged women who form a punk-rock band to compete in a talent contest, and she is also writing the upcoming series “The Ballad of Renegade Nell” for Disney+ U.K.. The late queen recognized her.
Sally Wainwright Biography 2025 Details
| Born |
Sally Anne Wainwright
1963 (age 60–61)
Huddersfield, West Riding of Yorkshire , England |
| Education |
University of York |
| Occupations |
- Television writer
- director
- producer
- playwright
|
| Years active |
1991–present |
| Spouse |
|
| Children |
2 |
| Category |
Singers Bio |
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Sally Wainwright
Sally Anne Wainwright OBE is an English television writer, producer, and director. She is known for her dramas, which are often set in her native West Yorkshire, and feature “strong female characters”. Wainwright has been praised for the quality of her dialogue.
Born: 1963 (age 61 years), Huddersfield, United Kingdom
Spouse: Austin Sherlaw-Johnson (m. 1990)
Books: Gentleman Jack: The Real Anne Lister The Official Companion to the BBC Series
Children: 2
Parents: Harry Wainwright, Dorothy Wainwright
Education: University of York
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Early life
Harry Wainwright and Dorothy Wainwright (née Crowther) gave birth to Wainwright in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire in 1963. Wainwright grew raised in Sowerby Bridge, where she attended Triangle Church of England Primary School and Sowerby Bridge Secondary School. She went to the University of York to study English and Related Literature. Diane Hilton, her only sister, is a housing professional. Wainwright stated that she had always wanted to write, had begun writing when she was nine years old, and wanted to write for Coronation Street. She stated that when she was 16, she saw a play called Bastard Angel by playwright Barrie Keeffe at the Royal Shakespeare Company and was impressed by its short words and genuine language.
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Sally Wainwright Net Worth & Salary
Happy Valley writer Sally Wainwright has made £1m from series – who says crime doesn’t pay! Happy Valley writer Sally Wainwright has made a killing from crime – she’s now a millionaire thanks to the hit series. Ten years ago Sally, 52, had a modest £17,000 in the coffers of her production company.
Career
| Sally Wainwright’s career |
Details |
| Early Career |
Wrote an original play Hanging On at the University of York and found an agent. Worked as a bus driver. |
| First Writing Job |
Wrote for The Archers on Radio 4 at age 24, contributing atypical stories for the show. |
| Coronation Street |
Wrote for Coronation Street from 1994 to 1999, honing her writing skills. |
| Mentorship |
Mentored by Kay Mellor, who encouraged her to focus on original work instead of soap operas. |
| Breakthrough |
Created At Home with the Braithwaites, nominated for multiple awards. |
| Personal Inspiration |
Wrote Jane Hall, based on her own experiences as a bus driver. |
| Awards |
Won the 2009 RTS Writer of the Year Award for Unforgiven, which also won several awards. |
| Strong Female Characters |
Known for creating strong yet flawed female characters in her work. |
| Directing & Producing |
Involved in directing and producing her own work to maintain control over storytelling. |
| Scott & Bailey |
Created Scott & Bailey in 2011, inspired by the concept from actresses Suranne Jones and Sally Lindsay. |
| Last Tango in Halifax |
Based the plot on her mother’s experience of rediscovering a lost love and remarrying. |
| Recognition |
Last Tango in Halifax won the BAFTA for Best Series in 2012; Wainwright won Best Writer award. |
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Personal life Overview
| Sally Wainwright |
Details |
| Residence |
Lives in Oxfordshire. |
| Spouse |
Married to Ralph “Austin” Sherlaw-Johnson, an antiquarian sheet music dealer. |
| Family |
Husband is the son of composer Robert Sherlaw Johnson. They have two sons. |
| Pet |
Owns a Maine Coon cat, which she claims is the largest in the world (as of 2023). |
| Honours |
Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to writing and television. |
| Personal Insight |
Has said that she believes she is “slightly autistic” and finds social interaction painful. |
