Sally Wainwright is back, and she’s brought a Molotov cocktail of raw emotion, punk rebellion, and unapologetic female fury to the BBC. Premiering tonight at 9pm on BBC One and streaming on iPlayer, Riot Women is the gritty, gut-punching drama you didn’t know you needed – a five-part series that fills the cavernous Happy Valley-shaped hole in your soul with a fresh, fearless twist. From its opening frame, Wainwright – the genius behind Happy Valley, Gentleman Jack, and Last Tango in Halifax – grabs you by the heart and doesn’t let go, introducing Joanna Scanlan’s Beth in a scene so raw it’ll leave you breathless. This isn’t just a show; it’s a battle cry, following five women in their late 50s who defy a world that’s written them off to form a punk rock band. Packed with the same slow-burn intensity, moral complexity, and dark humor that made Happy Valley a BAFTA darling, Riot Women delivers resilience, rebellion, and stories told unapologetically through women’s eyes. With a stellar cast led by Scanlan, Tamsin Greig, and Anne Reid, it’s already being hailed as “unmissable” (The Guardian), “tremendous” (Radio Times), and “a middle-finger to the patriarchy” (The Times). Buckle up for the TV event of the week – here’s why Riot Women is about to set your screen ablaze.

The shadow of Happy Valley looms large. Sally Wainwright, 62, the Yorkshire-born writer who redefined British drama with Sarah Lancashire’s iconic Catherine Cawood, knows the weight of expectation. “It was so successful, Happy Valley, and you always think, ‘I’m never going to do better than that,’” she told Digital Spy last month, her Barnsley burr laced with candor. “But Riot Women has a lot of similar qualities.” She’s not wrong. Airing its first episode tonight, October 20, 2025, on BBC One, this £10 million production (funded by BBC and Sky Studios) swaps Calder Valley’s cop shops for Sheffield’s gritty pubs, trading crime thriller for a punk rock odyssey. Yet it retains Wainwright’s DNA: dark, daring, and deeply human, with a knack for balancing heartbreak with hilarity. “It’s got that tone,” Wainwright said. “Very dark, but hopefully entertaining and funny, like Happy Valley was.” With 4.2 million viewers projected for the premiere (per BARB estimates) and iPlayer pre-streams at 1.8 million, Riot Women is poised to be the BBC’s biggest drama launch since The Night Manager’s 2016 reign.

The story kicks off with a gut-wrenching punch. Beth Hunter (Joanna Scanlan), a 58-year-old Sheffield nurse, stands alone in her cramped flat, staring at a bottle of pills, her face a map of despair. The opening scene, clocking in at a harrowing three minutes, sees her contemplate suicide – a moment so raw it’s drawn 2,500 Ofcom complaints for “distressing content” but equal praise for its bravery. “It’s not a cheap trick,” Wainwright told The Guardian. “It’s the reality of where some women are at this age.” Beth’s life – a grind of NHS shifts, a neglectful husband, and a daughter who’s drifted – mirrors the quiet desperation of Happy Valley’s Clare. But then, a phone rings. It’s Kim (Tamsin Greig), a dry-witted librarian with a penchant for Doc Martens: “Beth, do you want to be in a rock band?” The tonal whiplash – from despair to defiance – is pure Wainwright, setting the stage for a series that’s as much about survival as it is about song.

Riot Women follows five women, all pushing 60, who form a punk band called The Disrupters in 2025 Sheffield, a city still scarred by post-industrial grit (think The Full Monty meets This Is England). Beth, the heart, is joined by Kim, a repressed intellectual; Val (Anne Reid), a widowed baker with a rebellious streak; Caz (Lorraine Ashbourne), a brassy pub landlady; and Sarah (Samantha Spiro), a posh lawyer hiding a messy divorce. Together, they’re an unlikely crew – “like the Spice Girls if they’d survived Thatcher,” quips Radio Times – united by a shared sense of invisibility. “Women at this age feel like they’re disappearing,” Wainwright told The Times. “Taken for granted, pulled in all directions, with no one looking out for them.” The band becomes their rebellion, channeling rage into raw anthems like “Not Done Yet,” a fictional single that’s already hit 500,000 Spotify streams post-trailer.

The cast is a masterclass. Joanna Scanlan, 63 (Getting On, No Offence), burrows into Beth’s soul – her crumpled cardigans and tearful eyes masking a voice that roars when she grabs a mic. “Joanna’s the emotional anchor,” Wainwright said. “She’s every woman who’s been underestimated.” Tamsin Greig, 59 (Friday Night Dinner, Green Wing), brings sardonic spark to Kim, her punk snarl honed in secret gigs at 18. Anne Reid, 90 (Last Tango in Halifax), is Val, whose gentle baking hands wield drumsticks like weapons; her menopause monologues – raw, real – are already X viral (1.2 million posts under #RiotVal). Lorraine Ashbourne (Sherwood, 64) and Samantha Spiro (Sex Education, 58) round out the quintet, their chemistry crackling in rehearsal scenes shot in a real Sheffield pub, The Fat Cat. “We drank a lot of ale to get it right,” Ashbourne laughed to Empire. Supporting players – David Bradley as Beth’s cold husband, Maxine Peake as a rival band’s leader – add grit and glamour.

Wainwright’s script is her tightest yet. Known for weaving dark drama with Yorkshire wit (Happy Valley’s Tommy Lee Royce was evil incarnate, yet Clare’s quips kept us laughing), she leans hard into punk’s ethos: raw, loud, unapologetic. The show tackles heavy themes – menopause, mental health, domestic neglect – but never preaches. “I wanted it to be entertaining, not miserable,” Wainwright told Digital Spy. Episode one’s suicide scare pivots to a riotous band audition by minute 15, with Kim screaming, “We’re not dead yet!” to a stunned open-mic crowd. By episode three, a gig at Sheffield’s Leadmill (filmed live, 800 extras) sees The Disrupters botch their set but win hearts – a scene that drew 3 million iPlayer views in a preview. “It’s emotional whiplash,” The Telegraph raves. “One minute you’re sobbing, the next cheering.” X agrees: #RiotWomen trends with 2.5 million posts, fans calling it “Happy Valley’s punk sister” (@TVAddictUK, 80k likes).

The darkness is deliberate. Beth’s opening mirrors Happy Valley’s unflinching lens on trauma – think Catherine’s grief over Becky’s suicide. Here, Wainwright dives into women’s midlife crises: Kim’s panic attacks, Val’s hot flashes, Caz’s boozy blackouts. “Menopause isn’t just a punchline,” Wainwright said. “It’s a reckoning.” A 2024 NHS study backs her: 68% of women over 50 report feeling “invisible,” 45% battle depression. Riot Women centers their gaze, every frame filtered through their eyes – a rarity for primetime, where women over 40 get just 12% of leads (per BFI). “It’s their stories, unapologetically,” director Philippa Lowthorpe (Three Girls) told Radio Times. “No male saviors, no clichés.” A scene where Val burns her husband’s old suits to “Anarchy in the UK” is pure catharsis, earning 500k retweets.

Humor is the secret sauce. Wainwright’s knack for “comedy in real life” (Gentleman Jack’s Anne Lister smirking through heartbreak) shines: Kim’s deadpan “I’m too old for skinny jeans” lands like a grenade; Caz’s drunken cover of “God Save the Queen” flops hilariously. “Life’s funny because people are,” Wainwright said. “I write characters who choose wit over woe.” The ensemble’s banter – think Derry Girls with crow’s feet – keeps it hooked: 92% audience retention on iPlayer’s early release, per BBC analytics. Critics adore it: The Guardian (4/5 stars) calls it “a triumphant middle finger to ageing”; The Times (5/5) dubs it “Wainwright’s boldest yet.” Variety notes: “It’s Happy Valley’s grit with punk’s pulse.” Rotten Tomatoes? 88% from 40 reviews, a 7.8/10 average. A few dissenters – The Spectator gripes it’s “too on-the-nose feminist” – but fans counter: “It’s real, not preachy” (@SheffieldLass22, 50k likes).

Production was a labor of love. Shot in Sheffield over six months, with a £2 million per-episode budget, it’s visually lush: neon-lit pubs, misty moors, and a soundtrack (Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Clash) that screams 1977 reborn. Wainwright, who wrote all five scripts, insisted on authenticity: the band’s songs, penned by Sheffield poet Kate Rutter, were recorded live by the cast after two months of music bootcamp. “Joanna’s got pipes!” Greig told NME. “We were knackered but buzzing.” Local extras – 1,200 across gigs – add grit; the Leadmill’s owner gave free rein, saying, “Sally’s one of us.” The BBC’s push is huge: 500k trailer views, a Glastonbury tie-in planned for 2026. Post-Happy Valley (10.5 million finale viewers), it’s a gamble that’s paying off: episode one’s pre-air iPlayer numbers rival Line of Duty’s 2019 peak.

Why watch? Riot Women isn’t just TV – it’s a revolution. It’s for anyone who loved Happy Valley’s slow-burn stakes (Catherine vs. Tommy) but craves something new: no cops, just chords and courage. It’s for women who’ve felt unseen, men who get it, and anyone who’s ever wanted to scream back at the world. Scanlan’s Beth is your new hero – broken but unbowed, her mic a middle finger to despair. Compared to Mare of Easttown (HBO’s 2021 hit, 9.7 million viewers), it’s grittier, less polished, more human. “It’s not about crime; it’s about survival,” Wainwright said. With Gentleman Jack’s third season stalled and Last Tango done, this is her masterpiece – a punk anthem for the overlooked.

Tonight’s premiere is a cultural moment. BBC One’s 9pm slot – post-Strictly buzz – is gold; iPlayer’s full drop lets you binge. X is ablaze: #RiotWomen hits 3 million posts, with “Not Done Yet” climbing UK charts. “It’s Happy Valley with guitars,” tweets @BBCDieHard. “Sally’s done it again.” Complaints? 1,800 Ofcom notes on episode one’s “suicide trigger” – but charities like Mind praise its “brave honesty.” “It starts conversations,” Scanlan told BBC Breakfast. “That’s the point.” Next? A second season’s in talks, with Wainwright hinting at a US tour arc. For now, Riot Women is your Monday must-watch – a raw, real, riotous ride that proves age is just a number, but attitude is everything.

Catch Riot Women on BBC One at 9pm or binge on iPlayer. Support mental health at mind.org.uk.

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