Dearknees1
Living in the area where it was filmed it’s a relief to me to watch something by Sally Wainwright which is less consciously about Calderdale although she couldn’t resist a line where Kitty is urged to get the bus to Hebden Bridge and then into Halifax. Although I recognise places where it was filmed I haven’t yet been irritated by the misnaming and misrepresenting of places with which I’m familiar as I was in Last Tango and Happy Valley where I found the unrelenting focus on place a real barrier to enjoying the story. People like the Riot Woman characters do live here but I don’t believe they aren’t to be found elsewhere and that the themes aren’t universal in nature. And yes it wasn’t fun to live here whilst it was being filmed. Huge areas of car parks taken up by filming crews many of whom were quite rude and inconsiderate, If you really want to see where it was filmed come by public transport as there’s very little parking at the best of times.
Sally Wainwright has often spoken about her love of Calderdale, and it shines through in her writing. Good for her, and I know plenty of locals who aren’t complaining. All her series have helped boost tourism and the local economy in general.
As for not being fun to live here when filming took place, opinions may differ. Our village was used a lot in Gentleman Jack and it was a positive experience - we never came across any rudeness, we got a few of our paths and lanes cleared up, and inconvenience was kept to a minimum. It was quite exciting to have horses and carriages in the pub carpark and parties of enthusiastic Gentleman Jack fans visiting - I hope they all found us friendly and welcoming.
Before that, the house next door to DS was used in Happy Valley, and again it was a good experience. When DS was asked to leave his car at home one morning for continuity reasons, he was given £100 for the inconvenience. He came home from work one day to find Sally Wainwright and Sarah Lancashire at their kitchen table using the wifi - they were delightful. DDIL was shushed once when putting the rubbish out, but managed to get over it. 