Gaynor Faye talks about directing Kay Mellor's The Syndicate

It was written and produced by Kay Mellor and her daughter, Gaynor Faye, was the series script editor.

“I just knew it was going to be a hit because she captured the brothers, the family, the whole arena of what winning the lottery and such a substantial amount of money brings people - both good and not so good,” says Gaynor.

“My mum wrote for people, not accolades. The people who watch her shows, those are the people she related to, the people she championed. She showed what it is to be a normal every day person. At times it’s funny, at times it’s dramatic or moving, but the key thing is that everyone can see themselves in her characters, that’s why people love her work.”

The first series of The Syndicate was set in a Leeds supermarket, where the workers find that winning the lottery brings new challenges. With a cast including Timothy Spall, Joanna Page and Horsforth actor, Harry Potter star Matthew Lewis, it was a hit. Three more series followed - the second was set in a Bradford hospital (and filmed in the city), the third in a crumbling stately home near Scarborough and the fourth in a Yorkshire dog kennels, partly filmed in Apperley Bridge.

The first series was adapted for the stage by Kay, in what was her final venture into theatre before her death in 2022.

Kay had asked Gaynor to co-direct the project with her, and now the actress is going it alone. “Mum’s shoes are big ones to fill, but I understand what her vision was for this because I’ve been by her side from the very beginning,” says Gaynor. “Having acted in the last series on TV, when she asked me to assist her on directing the show I jumped at it. Now it has become my first solo directing role and whilst I am so sad not to be doing it with her, I’m also very proud to bring Mum’s vision to the fore.”

Gaynor Faye is making her directorial debut with The Syndicate (Image: Helen Williams)

The Syndicate is the story of five supermarket workers whose lottery numbers come in just as their jobs are under threat. Will a share of the jackpot make their dreams come true or their nightmares a reality? What’s certain is that the win will change the lives and loves of the syndicate forever.

Other TV dramas by Kay have become stage hits, not least Fat Friends - The Musical and Band of Gold which, like The Syndicate, were collaborations between Kay’s company Rollem and theatre producer Josh Andrews.

The Syndicate cast is headed by Samantha Giles, Brooke Vincent and Max George. Brooke, who played Sophie Webster in Coronation Street from 2004-2019, says: “I’ve taken a step back to have my two boys so this is my return to acting. I’m so excited,” she says. “I love Kay’s work, it’s so real and there’s such a sense of warm northern humour.”

Samantha recently left Emmerdale, after playing Bernice Blackstock on and off for 26 years. She was recently in the Alhambra panto, Cinderella, as the Wicked Stepmother. In The Syndicate she plays kind-hearted supermarket worker Denise. “People are used to seeing me as Bernice, who’s this glamorous person, and Denise is the polar opposite!” smiles Samantha, 51. “She’s a bit on the frumpy side, life hasn’t been so good to her, she’s different to Bernice, which is lovely to play. Kay’s writing is so good: real stories and wonderful characters that people can relate to.

“Denise puts everybody else before herself, it’s interesting to see the change during the play, especially when she gets her hands on the money.”

Brooke, 31, is nervous about treading the boards: “The way I deal with it is just to think there’s no point worrying, I need to wait until I’m on stage and face the fear anyway! You’re in a team, you all have a part to play to bring the show to life and you just need to feed off that.”

Brooke Vincent is looking forward to her role in The Syndicate (Image: Bradford Theatres)

Says Samantha: “It’s been 14 years since I’ve done a play so I’m nervous, but I think if you weren’t nervous you might not care. Nerves are good. You can’t beat live theatre.”

Co-star Max is making his theatre debut. Having spent 15 years fronting boyband The Wanted, he landed a role in hit US series Glee in 2014. He says auditioning for the role of supermarket assistant Jamie in The Syndicate pushed him out of his comfort zone: “Kay is a titan of TV and created the most authentic, relatable characters. People might expect me to do a musical for my first theatre role but I wanted something that would test me as an actor. A play like this is so exposing; you have to bring humour and drama. It was something I really wanted to do.

“Jamie is relatable, northern as well, so it felt close to home. He’s a bit of a rogue, the bad boy but a nice guy underneath. It reminds me of what I was like at school. I love Jamie’s relationship with his brother, it reminds me of me and my brother. There’s a scene where Jamie goes to him for help, that resonated because growing up, my brother was the pragmatic one I went to for advice.”

If Max needs advice on coping with a UK tour he can turn his partner, former EastEnders actress Maisie Smith, who toured last year in Strictly Ballroom: “When Maisie was on tour I travelled with her but that was mainly because we were renovating our house. Now it’s all done I think she’ll want to stay at home with our dog! It’ll be a challenge to be away from her but it’s work, she understands better than anyone.”

Brooke says playing Amy , Jamie’s sister-in-law, is a delight: “She’s more Rosie Webster than Sophie Webster! I’ve never played a ‘dolly bird’ before. I’m a tomboy. I love that Amy is so different to me.”

Although the play is a cautionary tale, we can’t resist asking the cast what they’d do with a lottery win. “I’d love to open a Buddhist centre in Yorkshire,” says Gaynor. Brooke, who has sons Mexx, four, and Monroe, two, with West Bromwich Albion footballer Kean Bryan, says her dream was to “buy a giant house with my girlfriends and move everyone in - but now with all the kids I’m not sure that would be a great idea!”

Samantha says: “This might sound glib but I have everything I need. I’ve got a roof over my head, food on the table. I’m not into designer clothes and things like that. I suppose if I won the lottery I’d buy a place abroad. But this play is a reminder to be careful what you wish for. With money comes greed, then a sense of desperation about what you’re willing to do to keep it.”

* The Syndicate is at the Alhambra, July 16-20. Call (01274) 432000 or visit bradford-theatres.co.uk