BBC viewers are set for more punk-powered chaos as ‘Riot Women‘ officially returns for a second series. The acclaimed West Yorkshire drama from multi BAFTA-winning writer Sally Wainwright struck a real chord with audiences, so the journey of Hebden Bridge’s loudest and least expected girl group is far from over.
The BBC confirmed the renewal after a hugely successful first run that dropped on BBC iPlayer in October and wrapped its weekly BBC One airing in mid-November. Critics loved it, audiences embraced it, and the Riot Women band is already tuning up for its next wild chapter.
Director of BBC Drama Lindsay Salt shared her excitement, saying:
“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. Riot Women has made people laugh, cry, think and connect with others – what more could we ask for… Bring on the next chapter!”
Series one introduced five women whose menopausal frustrations exploded into something far more powerful than they ever expected. A teacher, a police officer, a pub landlady, a midwife and a chronic shoplifter grabbed some instruments, formed a punk band for a local talent contest and wound up blowing their own lives apart in the process. Along the way, Beth and Kitty uncovered a revelation from their past that shifted everything they thought they knew.
The cast featured 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. The band’s backing vocal chaos came courtesy of Taj Atwal (Line of Duty) as Nisha, Chandeep Uppal (Holby City) as Kam and Macy Seelochan (Shadow and Bone) as Miranda.
The new series will pick up after the dramatic events of the finale, exploring what comes next for the band as their personal and musical lives continue to collide. Further story details are being kept under wraps for now, but the creative team is already buzzing about what comes next.
Sally Wainwright said:
“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!”
Executive producer Roanna Benn added:
“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. We have so many stories yet to tell for them and we cannot wait to get started.”
Series one was created, written and executive produced by Wainwright, who also served as lead director. It was produced by Drama Republic, a Mediawan company, in co production with BritBox International, with Jessica Taylor as producer and executive producers Roanna Benn, Tanya Qureshi, Robert Schildhouse and Jess O’Riordan.
The first run received rave reviews across the board, gathering stars from The Guardian, The Times, Heat, Daily Mail, The I, the Independent, the FT and more. Critics praised everything from its honesty to its humour to its sheer riotous energy.
‘Riot Women‘ Season 2 does not yet have a premiere date but will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK. If you want to keep track of this or any other shows, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date. Visit Never Miss.
Login to Geektown