Sometimes the most obvious stories are not told - this was certainly the case with this documentary. Executive Producer May Miller reveals some of the background to making such a film.
When first pitching this film, typing MENOPAUSE in the email subject line felt rather daring. I could sense commissioning executives up and down the UK collectively flinch. I had been warned that it would be impossible to get the film off the ground and if I did, no one would ever want to talk about it on camera. However, fortunately BBC Scotland recognised its potential and greenlit the project very quickly.
Assistant Producer Louise Arthur came on board and set about the very time consuming and sensitive task of finding women who were prepared to talk about their experiences. It was both heartening and very moving to find so many who, although apprehensive, were willing to share their stories to help others.
Producer Director Shiona McCubbin has considerable experience in human interest documentary. She worked hard to win the trust of the interviewees and made sure that they felt comfortable about relating often very difficult testimony. Shiona ensured that the filming environment was calm and unpressurised so that they knew they were in safe hands.
Our presenter Kirsty Wark shared her own personal menopause story in order to encourage others to do the same. Her exploration of what the menopause is, how we manage it and how we approach the years after the menopause is frank, often funny and highly intelligent. It is entertaining but also informative and the team at Maramedia hope that it will benefit all women, their family, colleagues and friends and encourage them to talk about this important life event.
We are extremely grateful to everyone who helped in the making of this documentary - they are many. In particular, thanks must go to Heather Currie, Chair of the British Menopause Society. For two years, she must have felt that she was being stalked by a deranged Walter Mitty type who imagined she was going to make a programme about the menopause. Well we got there in the end.
The Menopause is an important life event which affects every woman. It is an issue that needs to be discussed more openly - we are proud that the programme may help start that conversation.
Wellbeing of Women is a fantastic charity that funds medical research across the breadth of women’s reproductive health and childbirth to find cures, improve treatments and develop new diagnostic techniques. Many of the treatments and tests taken for granted today and used in everyday clinical practice both here in the UK and abroad benefitting millions of women came about thanks to research Wellbeing of Women funded over the last 50 years.