A brand new series is coming to the BBC this October.
From the creator of Happy Valley, Sally Wainwright, Riot Women tells the story of five women who put together an impromptu rock band in the hopes of winning a local talent competition.
The six-part series stars the likes of Joanna Scanlan and Tamsin Greig as midlife members of the makeshift punk band going through the menopause, as well as Mark Bazeley who viewers may recognise from Broadchurch.
"I am more excited about this than anything else I've ever written," Wainwright said.
On Tuesday 19th August, the BBC dropped the absolutely hilarious trailer for the new series, and we're sold!
Ahead of the series, read on for everything you need to know, including the release date window, full cast list and latest news.
Riot Women release date
Riot Women will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in October 2025.
We'll update you right here once we have an exact air date.
What is Riot Women about?
Riot Women follows five middle-aged women who, against the odds, form a makeshift rock band with one goal in mind: to take a shot at winning their local talent competition.
"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 official synopsis explains.
"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 (set in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire) 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."
Viewers can expect to hear original songs from the fictional band, ARXX, including one called 'Seeing Red', which is about being on HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy).
Talking about the new series, Wainwright told Radio Times: "They sing about what they're angry about. It's just me letting rip, really! I've had a lot of fun writing it. It's a celebration of women of a certain age and all the life stuff they suddenly find themselves negotiating/dealing with."
Riot Women cast
The cast includes stars from the TV worlds of Line of Duty, Broadchurch, Shadow and Bone and more.
Below is a list:
- Lorraine Ashbourne as Jess
- Joanna Scanlan as Beth
- Tamsin Greig as Holly
- Rosalie Craig as Kitty
- Taj Atwal as Nisha
- Chandeep Uppal as Kam
- Macy Seelochan as Miranda
- Amelia Bullmore as Yvonne
- Tony Hirst as Jerry
- Anne Reid
- Sue Johnston
- Claire Skinner
- Peter Davison
- Amit Shah
- Kevin Doyle
- Ethan Joseph Robert
- Oliver Huntingdon as Carl
On the cast, Wainwright said: "We have five of the most fabulous actresses on the planet playing the Riot Women. It's scarily exciting. 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 trailer
The BBC released the trailer of the new series on Tuesday 19th August, and we can't stop laughing.
You can watch the full clip below:
Riot Women starts on BBC One and BBC iPlayer this October.
