section_path: Biography/Early life and career
section_name: Early life and career
paragraph_text: Early life and career
  
  Whalley was born in Salford, Lancashire, and later moved to Levenshulme and then to Stockport, Greater Manchester. There, she attended Bredbury Comprehensive School, before leaving to study at Harrytown Convent Girls' School in Romiley and the Braeside School of Speech and Drama in Marple. As a child actress, from 1974 to 1979, Whalley made a number of television appearances including bit parts in popular soap operas Coronation Street and Emmerdale.
  
  She made her feature film debut as a young Beatles fan in Richard Marquand 's biographical film, Birth of the Beatles (1979) and flirted with the fringes of the Manchester new wave scene by briefly being a member of a Stockport-based band called the Slowguns, but left before the release of the first of their two singles later that year. Her television work continued with early appearances in episodes of popular series including Juliet Bravo and The Gentle Touch.
  
  From 1982 to 1986 she studied and performed with the Royal Court Theatre starting at the 1982 Young Writers' Festival by originating the role of Rita in Max Stafford-Clark 's first production of Andrea Dunbar 's Rita, Sue and Bob Too. That same year she made a non-speaking appearance as a groupie in Alan Parker 's musical drama Pink Floyd – The Wall (1982), featured in Stan Barstow 's well-received TV series A Kind of Loving (Granada, 1982) and starred as Gilly Brown alongside Trevor Eve in Danny Boyle 's production of The Genius at the Royal Court Theatre.
  
  At this time, she was also the lead singer of the pop group Cindy & The Saffrons; they recorded the Shangri-Las ' song "Past, Present and Future" in 1982 at Abbey Road Studios, and the track made the UK singles charts, peaking at #56. The next year they recorded "Terry", written and originally recorded by Twinkle, but this single failed to chart. The group split up soon afterward.
  
  Continuing her theatrical work, she played the title role in the first production of Daniel Mornin 's Kate at the Bush Theatre in 1983. That year she also appeared in episodes of popular TV series Bergerac and Reilly, Ace of Spies. Her work for the English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre continued with performances as Pam in Danny Boyle's production of Saved and June in Max Stafford-Clark's The Pope's Wedding from 1984 to 1985.
  
  Whalley was born in Salford, Lancashire, and later moved to Levenshulme and then to Stockport, Greater Manchester. There, she attended Bredbury Comprehensive School, before leaving to study at Harrytown Convent Girls' School in Romiley and the Braeside School of Speech and Drama in Marple. As a child actress, from 1974 to 1979, Whalley made a number of television appearances including bit parts in popular soap operas Coronation Street and Emmerdale.
  
  She made her feature film debut as a young Beatles fan in Richard Marquand 's biographical film, Birth of the Beatles (1979) and flirted with the fringes of the Manchester new wave scene by briefly being a member of a Stockport-based band called the Slowguns, but left before the release of the first of their two singles later that year. Her television work continued with early appearances in episodes of popular series including Juliet Bravo and The Gentle Touch.
  
  From 1982 to 1986 she studied and performed with the Royal Court Theatre starting at the 1982 Young Writers' Festival by originating the role of Rita in Max Stafford-Clark 's first production of Andrea Dunbar 's Rita, Sue and Bob Too. That same year she made a non-speaking appearance as a groupie in Alan Parker 's musical drama Pink Floyd – The Wall (1982), featured in Stan Barstow 's well-received TV series A Kind of Loving (Granada, 1982) and starred as Gilly Brown alongside Trevor Eve in Danny Boyle 's production of The Genius at the Royal Court Theatre.
  
  At this time, she was also the lead singer of the pop group Cindy & The Saffrons; they recorded the Shangri-Las ' song "Past, Present and Future" in 1982 at Abbey Road Studios, and the track made the UK singles charts, peaking at #56. The next year they recorded "Terry", written and originally recorded by Twinkle, but this single failed to chart. The group split up soon afterward.
  
  Continuing her theatrical work, she played the title role in the first production of Daniel Mornin 's Kate at the Bush Theatre in 1983. That year she also appeared in episodes of popular TV series Bergerac and Reilly, Ace of Spies. Her work for the English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre continued with performances as Pam in Danny Boyle's production of Saved and June in Max Stafford-Clark's The Pope's Wedding from 1984 to 1985.