''Riot Women'' is an upcoming British television series written by

Sally Wainwright Sally Anne Wainwright (born 1963) is an English television writer, producer, and director. She is known for her dramas, which are often set in her native West Yorkshire, and feature "strong female characters". Wainwright has been praised for th ...

and produced by Drama Republic.

Synopsis

In Riot Women we dive headfirst into the world of five women who come together to create a makeshift punk-rock band in order to enter a local talent contest but, in writing their first original song, soon discover that they have a lot to say - and this is their way to say it. As they juggle demanding jobs, grown-up children, complicated parents, absent husbands, 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.

Cast

Lorraine Ashbourne Lorraine Ashbourne (born 7 January 1961) is an English actress. Early life Ashbourne was born 7 January 1961, in Manchester, England. She attended Wilbraham High School, when living in Fallowfield. She joined Stretford Children's Theatre. She t ...

as Jess *

Joanna Scanlan Joanna Marion Scanlan (born 27 October 1961) is a British actress and writer. On television, she is known for her roles in ''The Thick of It'' (2005–2012), ''Big School'' (2013–2014), ''Puppy Love'' (2014), '' No Offence'' (2015–2018), ...

as Beth *

Tamsin Greig Tamsin Margaret Mary Greig (; born 12 July 1966) is a British actress. She is known for both dramatic and comedic roles. She played Fran Katzenjammer in the Channel 4 sitcom '' Black Books'', Dr Caroline Todd in the Channel 4 sitcom '' Green W ...

as Holly *

Rosalie Craig Rosalie Mae Craig (born May 30, 1980) is an English actress, noted for her performances in musical theatre. In 2013, she received her first major award, a London Evening Standard Award for Best Performance in a Musical. Life and career Craig ...

as Kitty *

Amelia Bullmore Amelia Mary Bullmore (born 31 January 1964) is an English actress, screenwriter and playwright. She is known for her roles in ''Coronation Street'' (1990–1992, 1995), '' I'm Alan Partridge'' (2002), '' Ashes to Ashes'' (2008–2009), '' Twenty ...

as Yvonne *

Tony Hirst Tony Hirst (born 21 January 1967) is an English actor, theatre director and narrator best known for playing Mike Barnes (Hollyoaks), Mike Barnes on the soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' and in ''Coronation Street'' as Paul Kershaw, the love interest of ...

as Jerry *

Anne Reid Anne Reid (born 28 May 1935) is an English stage, film and television actress, known for her roles as Valerie Barlow in the soap opera ''Coronation Street'' (1961–1971); Jean in the sitcom '' dinnerladies'' (1998–2000); and her role as C ...

Sue Johnston Sue Johnston (born Susan Wright; 7 December 1943) is an English actress. She is known for portraying Sheila Grant in the Channel 4 soap opera '' Brookside'' (1982–1990), Barbara Royle in the BBC comedy '' The Royle Family'' (1998–2012), G ...

* Taj Atwal *

Claire Skinner Claire Skinner (born 1965) is an English actress, known in the United Kingdom for her television career, particularly playing Sue Brockman from the BBC television series '' Outnumbered''. She is also known for her collaboration with director M ...

Peter Davison Peter Malcolm Gordon Moffett (born 13 April 1951), known professionally as Peter Davison, is an English actor. He made his television acting debut in 1975 and became famous in 1978 as Tristan Farnon in the BBC's television adaptation of Jame ...

Amit Shah Amitbhai Anilchandra Shah (born 22 October 1964) is an Indian politician who is currently serving as the 32nd Ministry of Home Affairs (India), Minister of Home Affairs since May 2019 and the 1st Ministry of Co-operation, Minister of Co-operat ...

* Kevin Doyle *

Chandeep Uppal Chandeep Uppal (born 19 July 1988) is a British actress best known for her role as Meena Kumar in the film '' Anita and Me''. Career Uppal is known for her appearances in the children's series '' My Life as a Popat'', in which she plays Dimple ...

* Ethan Joseph Robert * Oliver Huntingdon as Carl

Production

is writer and executive producer on the series which was announced in August 2023 under the title ''Hot Flush''. In April 2024, Wainwright revealed the title had been changed to ''Riot Women'', and the project had a song about HRT called ''Seeing Red''. The cast is led by

, and

. In September 2024

, Taj Atwal,

, Kevin Doyle and

were confirmed in the cast. Filming took place in

Hebden Bridge Hebden Bridge is a market town in the Calderdale district of West Yorkshire, England. It is in the Upper Calder Valley, west of Halifax and 14 miles (21 km) north-east of Rochdale, at the confluence of the River Calder and the Hebden W ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

in June and July 2024. Riot Women creator, writer, director and executive producer Sally Wainwright says: "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!"

Broadcast

The series is to broadcast sometime in 2025.

References

External links

* {{Sally Wainwright 2025 British television series debuts Upcoming British television series Television series created by Sally Wainwright Television shows set in West Yorkshire Television shows shot in Yorkshire Television shows set in Halifax, West Yorkshire British English-language television shows