Hit BBC drama, Riot Women is getting a second series.
Written and created by Sally Wainwright, the Yorkshire-based series, has not only been popular with viewers, it’s been a critical success too.
The first episode received 5.4m viewers in 28 days and was described by The Times as an “absolute banger.”
“We are bowled over by how hugely audiences have loved and resonated with Sally’s brilliant characters and stories and by the rightful praise for the phenomenal actors who have each made their character so much their own,” said Roanna Benn, executive producer for Drama Republic.
“We have so many stories yet to tell for them and we cannot wait to get started.”
Made by Drama Republic, a Mediawan company, series 1 followed a teacher, a police officer, a pub landlady, a midwife, and a shoplifting freeloader: 5 menopausal women who formed a punk rock band to take part in a local talent contest, and suddenly found they had a lot more to shout about than they ever imagined.
As they became closer, the teacher, Beth, and freeloader, Kitty, discovered a surprising, earth-shattering connection from their past. The second series will follow the “dramatic turn of events” at the end of the first outing.
“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!” added Wainwright.
Set and filmed in Hebden Bridge, the cast includes Joanna Scanlan (After Love, The Thick of It) as Beth, Rosalie Craig (Moonflower Murders, Serpent Queen) as Kitty, Tamsin Greig (Sexy Beast, The Completely Made Up Adventures of Dick Turpin) as Holly, Lorraine Ashbourne (Sherwood, Alma’s Not Normal) as Jess, and Amelia Bullmore (The Buccaneers, Vienna Blood) as Yvonne, with Taj Atwal (Line of Duty), Chandeep Uppal (Holby City), and Macy Seelochan (Shadow and Bone) as Nisha, Kam and Miranda, the band’s backing singers.
“Riot Women has resonated with millions of BBC viewers so I’m over the moon that we get to go again. An enormous thank you goes to Sally, Roanna, the team at Drama Republic and the dream cast and crew,” said Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama.
“Riot Women has made people laugh, cry, think and connect with others – what more could we ask for… Bring on the next chapter!”
Sally Wainwright was also the lead director, with Jessica Taylor (Happy Valley, Fool Me Once) as producer.
