Kay Mellor's (writer, director) inspiration for Fanny and Elvis was the fact that she was in her late thirties and was considering whether or not to have a third child. Financially stable and a great deal wiser, Kay felt that she could give another child everything that she was unable to provide for her two daughters, who she had unexpectedly in her late teens. "When I had Yvonne at sixteen, I was only 5'3''" and when I had Gaynor three years later, I was 5'5'', so I was still forming my own body while I was childbearing!' Twenty years down the line, with the naiveté of childhood replaced by adult awareness, Kay wanted to have another go but knew that time was not on her side.

Around the same time Kay bumped into a very beautiful, but highly distressed colleague. lt transpired that Irene, who was also in her 30's had just gone through her third cycle of IVF treatment, which has been unsuccessful. Financially it was going to be impossible to try again. Her husband had left her the previous year for a younger woman, who was going to have his child. In the cold light of day, the prospect of finding a suitable partner, with whom a relationship could develop quickly enough to consider a family, was not only daunting - but as Kay discovered when she tried to find obliging males for Irene, very difficult. Kay suggests 'this is because lots of men have..had a vasectomy, or insist on using condoms due to Aids, - then there is just plain old skepticism.''

The dilemma of the modern woman is at once tragic and comic, supporting a hypothesis that there has been a complete reversal of gender roles in society over the last few decades. Kay believes this a recent phenomenon, 'When I was young I was just trying not to get pregnant.' With increasing career opportunities it is now possible for women to become highly successful in their field of expertise and put childbearing on hold. However as she says, 'sperm counts are dropping, there is oestrogen in the water, women are having IVF treatment - and the biological clock waits for no woman.' As a writer, Kay felt that we are living in unusual times. She says, ' I don't remember anyone in the 60's using IVF, there wasn't any option if people couldn't have kids. ' Kay believes that 'the heart of the film is about a woman's need to get pregnant, which is fundamental to who we are. lt is also quite tragi-comic, how an attractive woman who is longing to get laid finds, that most men are terrified." Kay's daughter Caynor Faye, who plays Samantha adds, 'The film is about the desperation that a woman will go through to get children. lt is such a heartbreaking scenario, but so realistic.' The film views how we see relationships and marriage as the new millennium approaches. lt tackles massive and universal themes of commitment and infidelity. lt looks at how men and women speak different languages, how they miss-communicate which is immortalized in the best-selling book Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus.

Kay Mellor's family have played a vital role at every stage of the film's development, with whom she likes to sound out her ideas. Kay says, 'I never accepted a commission because I didn't want to share my ideas with anyone else. I worked on the script at home with my daughters who are very modern and consequently understand the situation that the film explores.' A lot of the film is based on truth as is often the case with Kay's work. Gaynor says, 'I once told a story about a boyfriend putting his contact lenses in water over night and drinking it because he was dehydrated - so that went into a piece of her work!' Caynor believes that her mothers skills as a writer are that she is, very good with dialogue and observation of characters. Her mind is constantly working, and is full of one lines and scenarios, which are continually inspired by her environment and other people.' Gaynor  was always very much at the forefront of Kay's mind to play Samantha. Kay says that, 'Gaynor is a natural, we had worked together on one of my plays, and I knew I could have spent a lot of time searching for someone to play Samantha when there was an actress in Leeds who was ready and available.

The script received considerable interest when, under Kay's direction, it was performed at The Script Factory in 1996. From the numerous offers to produce Fanny and Elvis, Kay decided to work with Nik Powell of Scala Productions because, in her own words, 'Nik assumed that I would direct it and I was pleased that he had made the effort to go to The Script Factory and had experienced the film at that stage of development. ' A prolific writer whose talents were first brought to the big screen in 1997 with 'Girls Night', Fanny and Elvis is Kay's directorial debut, primarily because Kay had not previously felt ready to direct. Kay says, 'I had been encouraged throughout my career to direct, but until now I didn't feel as if I was ready. I think you have to be really mature, to deal with the kind of emotionally complex questions that the film raises.' Kay has found the experience of directing, 'one of the most creative experiences of my life.'

On working with a first time director, Laurie Borg, the Producer of Fanny and Elvis, is full of praise for Kay, 'there is no grandiose or pretence; there is a complete normality in her writing and direction.' He continues, 'I have such an admiration for the way she can get actors, crew and public to go with her on a journey and not feel that they are being patronized. I admire her ability to be able to make an audience laugh and then cry within thirty seconds. That is a fantastic art. ' Kay believes her skills as a writer are due to the fact that, 'I don't cheat, even if it's uncomfortable to tell the truth. I'm not frightened to go into an emotionally dangerous. area. I think that because of having a child at sixteen, nothing can frighten me, more than that. '

A crucial factor in Laurie's involvement was that the his passion for the script was shared by his wife, both feeling a great deal of sympathy for characters as they too were going through IVF treatment. With little structural alteration to the script Laurie's primary concern was to emphasise the emotional implications and the warmth of the characters in Fanny and Elvis, 'on small budget films it is essential that you like and empathise with the characters.' In his own words the film is about 'people trying to find happiness, which explores several real life issues in the 90's, including problems of fertility, IVF technology and the fast approaching Millennium.' 

When Kay agreed to go with Scala she was promised talent and a good producer. Kay remarks, 'I appreciated that Laurie genuinely liked the script and that it meant so much to him.' Kay was delighted Kerry Fox agreed to play Kate, 'Kerry has got that independent fieriness and a maturity about her face and manner and she has a genuine love of film. She is diligent and can build the emotional journey.' This was imperative for the role of Kate, who Kay describes as, 'romantic, mid 30's, a bit selfish and a bit of a scatterbrain - a bit like me when I was younger. 'For Laurie, it was, 'Kerry's intensity, the way she can hold the screen, knows how, to manipulate her body language, eyes and accent,' which appealed when casting her for the role of Kate.

Kerry, initially hesitant to accept the part, felt she had neither the experience or understanding of Kate's situation. Her decision to take the role was primarily because 'It is not often that you come across a female lead role that is substantial without conforming to a Freudian model of femininity.' Kerry also admired, 'the wav the story develops and expands, showing greater insight into the characters and becoming increasingly complicated.' Kerry thoroughly enjoyed working with Kay, who she greatly respects as a director, 'She is very aware of her own insights and her own power. She has such a lucidity that she has no fears or insecurities. Consequently she takes on board everything you say then makes her own decision.' Kerry describes Kate as, 'a romantic, who is writing romantic fiction. She realizes she has been too career minded and gets into focus what she wants from life out of the crisis of her husband leaving her and discovering that her eggs are drying up.' Kerry also sees a tot of Kay Mellor in Kate, 'the naiveté and innocence which makes the character fresh. There is an amazing self-determination in both Kay and Kate. '

When casting for the character of Dave, Kay concedes, 'Laurie suggested Ray Winstone and I just dismissed him because he was from London. Then I thought about it and realized that he had all the qualities of Dave. It wasn't about where he was from, rather a mixture of talent, warmth and someone who was very confident in y his masculinity, combined with a working-classness.' Dave represents lots of things, he has a gentle side and also a macho one, and because of that he is not afraid of Kate at all. Kay says that she had to find a softness in Ray, which he was willing to explore. She says 'he read the part beautifully and tenderly.' Laurie found the English 'Depardieu' he was searching for in Ray.

The role of Dave was not however without it's problems for Ray, who Kay describes as an extremely 'instinctive actor.' Ray explains that, although very flattered to play the romantic lead, Dave was a difficult character, ' because I have to play my opposite instincts, like putting up with this wayward woman Kate!' Kay greatly admires Rays 'willingness to explore parts of him which maybe he didn't feel comfortable with.' The essence of Fanny and Elvis, for Ray, is the way in which people perceive one another and the belief that opposites attract. He describes Dave as a' flashy, car dealer type who has struggled in life', but then as Kate and the audience gradually begin to understand him they realize he is someone who, in Ray's words, 'is not just a loud mouthed Londoner, but that he has feelings and can love.' As a father himself he can identify with the paternity issue, 'it must be tragic for a couple who want to have kids and can 't'.

In Kay's view, Rob (David Morrissey) Kate's husband, represents the dilemmas of the modern man. The pressures of having to be a great partner and provider, while maintaining an interesting sex life. Rob's crisis is that as Kate becomes more self sufficient and interested in her career, she becomes less involved and intimate with him. He feels threatened by this and leaves his wife for the excitement of a younger woman and immediate sexual gratification. However he discovers that you need more than sex for a good relationship and comes to regret leaving his wife. In allowing Kate to pursue her career as a novelist, simultaneously providing, the domestic and financial support, David believes that, 'Rob feels he has lost his role in the relationship'. The dilemma of the modern man is not essentially different to women's, whilst encompassing a different set of issues. David elaborates, ' Men are getting mixed messages in the '90s, no longer knowing whether to be sensitive or masculine and having to conform to external pressures of expectancy projected through the media. ' Kay says that, "Rob is a flawed character as is Samantha, in life people are flawed, it makes them interesting. Nobody wants to watch perfect people, they are not interesting, they are hard to identify with."

Kay, perceives Andrew (Ben Daniels), as, 'a gay guy who is completely happy with him self and his sexuality .' This is substantiated by Ben, 'Adrews sexuality is incidental. His primary role in the film is to be Kate's best friend. 'In the capacity of a romantic drama the issues raised in the film, Ben suggests, are also explored from a gay perspective, 'Andrew also wants to settle down and have a partner, he is unable to have children so IVF is a possible option for him.'

Set during the approach to the Millennium  Fanny and Elvis is full of hope and renewal for all its' characters. Kay's intention when beginning the project was not only 'to draw attention to where we are going in terms of human relationships at the end of the Millennium, 'but also to explore the topical issues surrounding technology. 'The Millennium will bring lots more choices like false embryos and women having their eggs sprayed, Kay predicts. The Millennium will have a significant impact for the majority of people, a time of hope and renewal, which marks the end of a chapter, as it does for the characters in Fanny and Elvis. 'People are searching for the meaning of life, they are getting much more into religion and becoming more hippie trippy!' Ben adds. Gaynor also says, 'The millennium is a huge land mark, it is about new beginnings, new, relationships. lt is about recognizing who you are as a person.'

Perhaps Hebdon Bridge, well known for its annual crop of magic mushrooms, was the ideal location for the film. Laurie describes the set as 'bohemian and unique - it's a collective - we've captured the whole essence of Hebdon'. However, filming in Yorkshire was not without it's difficulties ' The Moors were the biggest problem, finding the right location so that we could run up and down the hills.' Despite the temperamental climate of the Moors the whole cast and crew thoroughly enjoyed filming on location. As Kay says, 'It was great, people were so friendly and I was really proud of my crew. '