The cast of Sally Wainwright’s BBC drama Riot Women has teased what they think we can expect from its highly-anticipated second season, which has already been confirmed to be on the way.
Leading cast members Amelia Bullmore, Rosalie Craig, Tamsin Greig and Lorraine Ashbourne – whose characters all featured in the band at the centre of the series – speculated about what Wainwright might incorporate into her scripts for the show’s follow-up.
“This is what I think,” Bullmore told Radio Times. “I think there’s gonna be some good times, some bad times, I think there’s gonna be some obstacles, there’s gonna be some gigs…”
Then Greig – also known from Friday Night Dinner and Green Wing – went on to add: “And there’s gonna be a crafty midpoint that nobody’s going to see coming…”
All of this does sound pretty in-keeping with Wainwright’s approach to storytelling, but we’ll have to wait and see what Riot Women will bring in its second outing as more details get shared by the BBC officially.
BBC
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Riot Women was set in West Yorkshire, and introduced a group of five women – “a teacher, a police officer, a pub landlady, a midwife, and a shoplifting freeloader” – all experiencing menopause, and feeling overlooked and taken for granted by others around them. So, they started a punk-rock band.
Joanna Scanlan (Slow Horses), Taj Atwal (Line of Duty) and Ben Batt (Toxic Town) also all featured on the cast lineup for the first season, which marked a return to the BBC for Happy Valley’s Sally Wainwright.
While a specific list of returning actors hasn’t yet been announced for season two, the BBC did reveal that it will explore “what comes next for the Riot Women following the dramatic turn of events in series one’s final episode” – so it’s likely that the main stars will be back.
BBC
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Riot Women was widely praised by critics and viewers alike when it first premiered in 2025. Fans on IMDb have branded it “outstanding”, with another pointing to the “magnificent cast of actors” and a third hailing the “intelligent writing”.
“Sally Wainwright has written something brave and real – a story about women in midlife who’ve carried too much for too long and are finally taking some of it back,” another viewer said.
The drama currently boasts a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with The Herald (Scotland) naming it a “rock out triumph for Wainwright” and Observer calling it “wonderful”. Meanwhile, Digital Spy said, “if you watch one thing this week, make it Riot Women”.
BBC
When it was announced that Riot Women would indeed be back, creator Wainwright said: “Oh, this is where the fun really starts! We’ve all been so deeply moved by the huge, overwhelming, joyous, emotional response to series one, and now we’re able to take the Riot Women extravaganza onto the next level! We hope you’ll all join us on the series two rollercoaster!”
Director of BBC Drama Lindsay Salt also previously said: “Riot Women has resonated with millions of BBC viewers so I’m over the moon that we get to go again.”
“Riot Women has made people laugh, cry, think and connect with others,” she continued, “what more could we ask for… Bring on the next chapter!”
Riot Women aired on BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer. Season 2 is on the way but does not have a release date.
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TV Editor, Digital Spy Laura has been watching television for over 30 years and professionally writing about entertainment for almost 10 of those. Â Previously at LOOK and now heading up the TV desk at the UK’s biggest TV and movies site Digital Spy, Laura has helped steer conversations around some of the most popular shows on the box. Laura has appeared on Channel 5 News and radio to talk viewing habits and TV recommendations. Â As well as putting her nerd-level Buffy knowledge to good use during an IRL meet with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laura also once had afternoon tea with One Direction, has sat around the fire pit of the Love Island villa, spoken to Sir David Attenborough about the world’s oceans and even interviewed Rylan from inside the Big Brother house (housemate status, forever pending).Â