The Change wasn’t originally about the menopause, says Bridget Christie
The show's creator and star also called for more positive depictions of the process in media.
The Change creator Bridget Christie has revealed her new comedy-drama wasn't originally about the menopause, but this element was added as she began experiencing symptoms while developing the show.
The series follows Linda (played by Christie), a middle-aged woman who sets off on a journey of self-discovery, seeking to reclaim the numerous hours she has spent performing invisible labour (i.e. household chores) for her family over many years.
The adventure takes her to the Forest of Dean in search of a time capsule she hid there as a child, but the visit also sees her become caught up in the lives of the eccentric residents of a local village.
At a launch event for the series, Christie explained how the concept evolved over several years in development, with the main character not initially envisioned as going through the menopause.
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"I've been writing this for a long time and it's had various different iterations," she explained. "Because TV development takes so long, the central character wasn't in the menopause [originally]. Seven years ago, she was young… totally different.
"Anyone who's ever pitched for TV or anything, it really does take quite a long time. So then I went into the perimenopause and then the menopause, so I just changed the character [to include that] and then cast myself in it."
The comedian clarified that certain elements were present from the very beginning, including the Forest of Dean as a key location and a central character who had "lost sight of who they were".
Christie acknowledged that one-third of women do have complications with the menopause – sometimes requiring medical treatment – but that she had wanted to reflect her own personal account, having felt the process was liberating.
She continued: "I have found that coming out the other side of my reproductive years has just been overwhelmingly positive for me… I feel kind of freed from it all. I feel more like myself as a child now and I would love it if more women felt like that.
"I've got another, let's hope, 30 years to live and I just feel sort of unencumbered by a lot of social pressures and things like that in a really overwhelmingly positive way."
Read more:
- The Change role is "a departure" from usual, says Ghosts star
- The Change teaser gives first look at new Channel 4 comedy
Christie added: "So I think this is just about seeing somebody coming out of that and having this big adventure – and let's see more women on screen doing that.
"Let's see more women being in charge of their menopause and not accepting what has been said about it for years."
The Change also stars Ghosts actor Jim Howick, alongside Omid Djalili, Tanya Moodie, Paul Whitehouse, Monica Dolan, Liza Tarbuck, Sonny Charlton and Amanda Lawrence.
The Change premieres on Channel 4 at 10pm on Wednesday 21st June 2023. Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
