Riot Women, the upcoming BBC drama from Happy Valley boss Sally Wainwright, has confirmed an October release window along with a first-look trailer that’s wonderfully chaotic and defiant.
Filmed in West Yorkshire, the new six-part series will follow a group of “five menopausal women” who decide to form a punk rock band while juggling the demands of work, children, ageing parents and relationships.
The synopsis adds that the group “suddenly find they have a lot more to shout about than they ever imagined”.
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Riot Women boasts an exciting cast, which includes Lorraine Ashbourne (Sherwood), Joanna Scanlan (Slow Horses), Amelia Bullmore (The Jetty), Tamsin Greig (Friday Night Dinner, Suspect) and Rosalie Craig (Moonflower Murders).
The BBC has also revealed further character details. These leading stars are playing the roles of “a teacher, a police officer, a pub landlady, a midwife, and a shoplifting freeloader”, making up the central women who form the band.
BBC
We’d already been given a glimpse of what to expect, with first-look images of some of the characters – including the core five Riot Women – previously being released.
But along with the new trailer today, the BBC has now also revealed some additional images, which show some of the band members in action. You can see those below.
BBC
BBC
In addition, the rest of the cast includes Amit Shah (Happy Valley), Taj Atwal (Line of Duty), Anne Reid (The Sixth Commandment), Sue Johnston (The Royle Family), Claire Skinner (Outnumbered), Mark Bazeley (Broadchurch), Kevin Doyle (Downton Abbey) and Chandeep Uppal (Anita and Me).
Creator, writer and executive producer Sally Wainwright previously described how she’s “more excited about this than anything else I have ever written”, going on to praise the “most fabulous actresses on the planet playing the Riot Women”.
Wainwright’s previous BBC dramas include Happy Valley, Last Tango in Halifax and Gentleman Jack, while her most recent TV offering – Renegade Nell – launched on Disney+ in 2024.
You can watch the trailer for Riot Women here.
Riot Women will premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK this October.
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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