Creating real characters KATHRYN'S PRIMETIME ROLE

The scriptwriter is treating viewers to the best female heroines on TV

- Elise Cacace 

When a bright pink, allW woman motorbike gang was planned for The Brokenwood Mysteries, nobody was more excited than Kathryn Burnett. As a screenwriter, creating dynamic female characters has always been her forte and the opportunity to write the script for the glamorous girl gang, Mama's Angels, was a dream come true.

"I seem to have, purely by luck or good fortune, ended up writing on shows that have strong female leads, which I just love," smiles Kathryn.

"I find it quite galling when there's pressure to make a character nice for no reason other than that they're female. Ladies are flawed and complex, and I think the characters we create should reflect that." So, when Brokenwood producer Tim Balme first.

contacted Kathryn last year to discuss writing Mama's Angels into the ninth season of the show, she instantly knew she was the right person for the job.

"We just started talking about what sort of gang they would be, and decided we didn't want them to be nasty and horrible or violent," explains Kathryn. "We were inspired by some of the motorcycle gangs of women in the United States that do charity work, stunts and performances, and thought we would like them to be more that territory. But they all have challenging pasts, so it's interesting." Despite always having a passion for storytelling, Kathryn never mapped out a career in screenwriting.