Sally Wainwright

Sally Wainwright

Sally Anne Wainwright OBE (born 1963) is an English television writer, producer, and director. She is known for her dramas, which are often set in West Yorkshire, where she originates from, and feature "strong female characters". Wainwright has been praised for the quality of her dialogue.

Wainwright began her career as a scriptwriter on the long-running radio serial drama The Archers, and worked on the television soap operas Emmerdale and Coronation Street in the 1990s. Her first original drama, At Home with the Braithwaites, aired between 2000 and 2003. After two self-described "flops" in the mid-2000s, Wainwright found success with Unforgiven (2009), for which she won the Royal Television Society's Writer of the Year Award. Her work since includes Scott & Bailey (2011–2016), Last Tango in Halifax (2012–2020), Happy Valley (2014–2023), and Gentleman Jack (2019–2022). Last Tango in Halifax won the British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series in 2013, and Happy Valley won the same award in both 2015 and 2017.

Writing

2024

2021

2019

2018

The Detail

Original Series Creator

2012

2012

2011

2009

2007

Bonkers

Writer

2006

Jane Hall

Writer

2005

2002

1999

Bad Girls

Writer

1994

Production

2025

Riot Women

Executive Producer

2024

Renegade Nell

Executive Producer

2021

The Unforgivable

Executive Producer

2019

Gentleman Jack

Executive Producer

2018

The Detail

Executive Producer

2014

Happy Valley

Executive Producer

2012

Last Tango in Halifax

Executive Producer

2011

Scott & Bailey

Executive Producer

2009

Unforgiven

Executive Producer

2006

Directing

2025

Riot Women

Director

2019

Acting

Crew

2021

The Unforgivable

Series Writer

Infos

Full Name
Sally Wainwright
Gender
Female
Date of Birth
1/1/1963