'Really? We’re still not being heard?' Lesley Manville urges for more stories about older women to be on screen

Lesley Manville is right to emphasise the importance of older women's stories playing out in the films and TV shows we love - their voices are just as important as any in this space.

Actress Lesley Manville has a lot of important things to say - she's spoken out about the devastation of Gary Oldman leaving her when their son was just three months old, and the strength it took fer her to be a mother and continue carving a career during this time. She's also rightly vocal about the voices of older women playing out on screen, wanting to see more of the likes of Susan Ryeland, her Moonflower Murders and Magpie Murders character, have their stories told on TV.

Speaking on BBC Women's Hour, the actress describes that intrigue in hearing about older women has increased since she was young, but there's still more to be done to meet such an important need. "There's a real interest in telling the stories of older women, she says," adding, "And it wasn't like that when I was 16, it wasn't like that when I was in my 30s, even."

The star continues to describe the one thing women are often vilified for in society - shouting to get their points across. Fighting back against the stereotypes that women are often seen to be quiet, meek and aren't of interest when they reach a certain age, Lesley is aware this narrative is being fought against constantly. "Women are shouting louder, complaining more, she says."

"Even going back to the relatively recent female history of the suffragettes, when you think of that movement and the women in that movement, it was awe inspiring," Lesley rightly points out. However, despite the progress the suffragettes and other women who have fought to be heard have made, she's still amazed we are fighting to take up space in the world of TV as well as almost everywhere else.

"We're still not being heard," she says, adding, "We're still struggling to have a voice, we're still being side lined. We've carried on shouting and making ourselves heard." Referencing the hit comedy series the actress starred in, entitled Mum, Lesley points out that women want to see similar stories, where older, widowed women find love again.

Women want to see themselves portrayed as part of actual life, and not bystanders or people to be cast aside when they appear to be no longer interesting. Even when older women are widowed or alone, Lesley points out that they can still live full lives and find happiness in the face of grief and other setbacks faced as they age, and we agree with her wholeheartedly.