The BBC and BritBox Announce Cast for New Sally Wainwright Drama 'Riot Women'
Sally Wainwright, Joanna Scanlan, Rosalie Craig, Lorraine Ashbourne, Tamsin Greig, and Amelia Bullmore in the casting annoucement for "Riot Women"
(Photo: Courtesy of Britbox)
Though Happy Valley has concluded and both Gentleman Jack and Renegade Nell met unfortunate, untimely ends at the hands of network cancelation gods, that doesn't mean prolific TV creator Sally Wainwright has slowed down. Her latest series, a six-part drama for the BBC, was initially titled Hot Flush before settling on Riot Women. The production announced today it's officially landed an American streaming home, and will debut on BritBox, which joins the series as filming begins in the U.S.
Described as a punk-rocked fueled take on menopause, the show takes its name from the 1990s feminist countercultural "Riot Grrrl" movement. Its story follows a group of five middle-aged women (and two backing singers) who form a makeshift rock band to enter a local talent contest. But as they each juggle demanding jobs, grown-up children, complicated parents, absentee husbands, and disastrous relationships, the band becomes a catalyst for change in all their lives, and Riot Women is a testament to the power of friendship, music, and the resilience of women who refuse to be silenced by age or expectation.
Joanna Scanlan (A Very Royal Scandal) leads the cast (and the titular band) as Beth, alongside Rosalie Craig (Moonflower Murders) as Kitty; Tamsin Greig (The Completely Made Up Adventures of Dick Turpin) as Holly; Lorraine Ashbourne (Sherwood) as Jess; and Amelia Bullmore (The Buccaneers) as Yvonne. The series also features Anne Reid (The Sixth Commandment) as Nancy, Holly and Yvonne's mother and Sue Johnston (Truelove) as Jess's Aunt Mary, along with Peter Davison (Doctor Who), Claire Skinner (McDonald & Dodds), and Angel Coulby (The Tunnel).
Sally Wainwright behind the scenes of "Riot Women"
(Photo: Helen Williams/BritBox)
"I think I am more excited about this than anything else I have ever written. Ever," Wainwright said in a statement. "Oh my God. We have five of the most fabulous actresses on the planet playing the Riot Women. It's scarily exciting.”
The series ensemble also includes Kevin Doyle (Downton Abbey), Ellise Chappell (Poldark), Amit Shah (Mr Bates vs The Post Office), Natalia Tena (Game of Thrones), Ben Batt (Domina), Taj Atwal (Hullraisers), Rick Warden (The Jetty), Oliver Huntingdon (Sherwood), Richard Fleeshman (The Sandman), Jonny Green (It's a Sin), Olwen May (The Bay), Nicholas Gleaves (After the Flood), Tony Hirst (Pistol), Macy Jacob Seelochan (Shadow & Bone), Chandeep Uppal (Shakespeare & Hathaway), Shannon Lavelle (The Hardacres), and West End musical great Melanie La Barrie (Matilda the Musical).
"Riot Women is perfectly suited to BritBox—unabashed, unapologetic, and unmistakably British," Robert Schildhouse, who recently took over as head of BritBox International, said in a statement. "We're thrilled to bring this series from the brilliant Sally Wainwright and this incredible cast to our audiences in North America."
Wainwright created, wrote, and executive produced the series. She is also the lead director for the first block of episodes, with Amanda Brotchie (Gentleman Jack) helming the second block. Jessica Taylor (Fool Me Once) is the producer. The executive producers are Roanna Benn (One Day) for Drama Republic, Tanya Qureshi for the BBC, and Schildhouse and Jess O'Riordan for BritBox International.
Riot Women is currently filming in West Yorkshire and will premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the U.K. and BritBox in the U.S. and Canada in 2025.
