Writer Sally Wainwright “can’t wait” for fans to see the show
The BBC is set to release a new drama series from BAFTA award-winning writer Sally Wainwright. The 62-year-old is best known for the roaring success of Happy Valley. Launching in 2014, the gritty drama was followed Sergeant Catherine Cawood – portrayed by the talented Sarah Lancashire.
Happy Valley transformed into a television sensation, especially during its third and concluding season in 2023. Wainwright will bring her storytelling magic to screens once again in a new six-part series which is launching on the BBC this October.
As summer draws to a close and we welcome in the darker evenings, it’s time to sit down for some binge-worthy TV dramas and the BBC are providing just that this autumn. Wainwright has written, as well as directed and executive produced, the deeply emotional TV series “Riot Women”.
Set and filmed in Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire, viewers are taken into the lives of five women who come together to make a rock band in order to enter a local talent contest. But as they start writing their first song, they soon realise they have a lot more to say about life than they initially thought.
The BBC synopsis reads: “A teacher, a police officer, a pub landlady, a midwife, and a shoplifting freeloader: five menopausal women form a punk rock band to take part in a local talent contest, and suddenly find they have a lot more to shout about than they ever imagined. As they become closer, the teacher, Beth, and freeloader, Kitty, discover a surprising, heartbreaking connection.”
The women juggle their busy lives and complicated relationships while committing themselves to the band. The determined bandmates talk through their problems and want to get their voices heard.
The BBC’s description of the show continues: “As they juggle demanding jobs, grown-up children, complicated parents, husbands who’ve buggered off, and disastrous dates and relationships, the band becomes a catalyst for change in their lives, and it’s going to make them question everything.
“The six-part series is a testament to the power of friendship, music, and the resilience of women who refuse to be silenced by age or expectation. As the story progresses, it’s more than music that binds them; a deeply potent, long-buried secret begins to surface – one that unexpectedly entangles Kitty and Beth, the two unlikely creative masterminds behind the band, in a complex triangle – and threatens to tear everything apart.”
Riot Women is created, written, and executive produced by Sally Wainwright, who is also the lead director. Jessica Taylor is the producer, who also worked on Happy Valley as well as Fool Me Once, which starred Michelle Keegan.
Members of the Riot Women band include Joanna Scanlan as Beth, Rosalie Craig as Kitty, Tamsin Greig as Holly, Lorraine Ashbourne as Jess, and Amelia Bullmore as Yvonne, with Taj Atwal, Chandeep Uppa, and Macy Seelochan as Nisha, Kam and Miranda, the band’s riotous backing singers. Riot Women will feature original songs from the band ARXX.
In the trailer, Beth opens with the all-important question: “Do you ever feel like you’re living in an alternative universe, where women of a certain age become invisible?”, which sets the tone for the rest of the series.
Speaking to the BBC ahead of the show, Sally Wainwright said: “I’m having a whole new buzz of excitement about the show as we bring it together in the edit, and I can’t wait to share it with everyone!”
Riot Women will premiere on BBC iPlayer and BBC One this October.
