Yvonne Francas

Leeds-born Mellor, who was also best known for penning series including Fat Friends which aired from 2000 until 2005 and was turned into a musical, ...

Her series Fat Friends was a massive turning point in my career and I will be eternally grateful to her for what she did for me. 'She was a great mentor to me when I first started writing - and always hugely encouraging of new writers - a real testament to the idea of paying it forward. I went to Fat Friends The Musical last year; sold out, an audience laughing and roaring and sobbing, an audience that gets left behind by everyone else. And a sigh went round the auditorium. You were the best boss to work for, you embraced all that is good about our industry, believing in talent.' She had an unshakeable belief in story, story, story, I think of her always when I'm writing. 'Her contribution to British television was outstanding and I feel privileged to have worked with her. She added: 'One thing I've thought about, but haven't done, is some sort of big community show and I like the idea of setting up a writing/ acting academy for young people. I'd pay off my family and friends' mortgages, give money to the NSPCC, animal welfare and care for the elderly. A spokesman for her TV production company, Rollem Productions, said: 'It is with profound sadness that we announce the untimely and sudden passing of our beloved friend, mentor and colleague Kay Mellor on Sunday May 15. She added: 'In the late 1970s when I was in my 20s. Her work helped transformed the careers of many young British stars including James Corden, Jude Law, Samantha Morton and Ruth Jones, who said today: 'British television has lost one of its greats'.