New feature-length drama
A PASSIONATE WOMAN was broadcast in April this year on BBC One, starring Billie Piper and Sue Johnston. Part one is set in 1950s Leeds and tells the story of Betty Stevenson, a housewife and mother who has an affair with her Polish neighbours nicknamed 'Craze'. He is everything Betty's husband isn't - passionate, enigmatic and a little bit dangerous. When Craze's wife Moira discovers a love letter from a mysterious woman called 'B' (who we the audience know is Betty) the affair comes to an abrupt end with dramatic and devastating consequences.
Part Two is set thirty years later. It’s a week before Betty's son Mark’s wedding and she is devastated to learn that he intends to move to Australia with his new wife Jo. Realising that her life will be empty without him, Betty spirals into a depression – desperate to find a reason why Mark shouldn’t marry Jo and move away. As the day of the wedding dawns, Betty can’t cope and seeks refuge in the memory of Craze – the man she had an affair with thirty years ago and the only other person in her life she has truly loved. As events spiral out of control, Betty learns a few difficult truths and is forced to decide between joining her dead lover or facing quite a different future.
Read Kay Mellor's latest blog to find out who inspired the story.
