Take five menopausal middle aged women, give them musical instruments, a great name (NOT "The Old Bags Department" as one character suggests) and a talent competition and let anger and a determination not to remain invisible to the rest of society do the rest...
Here's how to watch "Riot Women" online from anywhere with a VPN — and potentially for free.
"Riot Women" premieres on Sunday, October 12 on BBC One at 9 p.m. BST. It is also available to stream on BBC iPlayer from 6 a.m. on the same day.
• WATCH FREE — BBC One/ BBC iPlayer (U.K.)
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According to its creator Sally Wainwright, "Riot Women" is "A drama about women of a certain age who are at various stages of going through the menopause, but it’s not just about the menopause..." Nope, it's about many things but mainly delivers an uplifting message about setting out to claim your life back.
A brilliant script is rewarded by a top drawer ensemble cast (who all learned how to play the instruments for the series): Kitty (played by Rosalie Craig) - vocals; Yvonne (Amelia Bullmore) - lead guitar; Holly (Tamsin Grieg) - bass; Jess (Lorraine Ashbourne - drums); and, Beth (Joanna Scanlon) - keyboards.
Read on to find out how to watch "Riot Women" online, on TV and from anywhere.
How to watch 'Riot Women' for FREE in the U.K.
How to watch 'Riot Women' from abroad
Thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network), "Riot Women" should be available to Brits no matter where they are. The software allows your devices to appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you find yourself. Our favorite is NordVPN.
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're away from the U.K. and want to view a U.K. service, you'd select U.K. from the list.
3. Sit back and watch the show. Head to BBC iPlayer to watch "Riot Women" online and on-demand.
How to watch 'Riot Women' around the world
How to watch 'Riot Women' in the United States
Yes, "Riot Women" premieres in the U.S. on Britbox on Wednesday, October 22 with a two episode drop, followed by one every week.
However, if you are a Brit in the States for work or on vacation you can catch the show for much earlier by using a VPN such as NordVPN, choosing U.K. from the list and selecting BBC iPlayer.
How to watch 'Riot Women' in the U.K.
"Riot Women" premieres on Sunday, October 12 on BBC One at 9 p.m. BST. It is also available to stream on BBC iPlayer from 6 a.m. on the same day.
You don't have to miss it if you a Brit exiled abroad because you can unblock BBC iPlayer with a VPN. We recommend NordVPN.
How to watch 'Riot Women' in Canada
Yes, as with the U.S., "Riot Women" premieres in Canada on Britbox on Wednesday, October 22 with a two episode drop, followed by one every week.
However, if you are a Brit in the Great White North for work or on vacation you can catch the show much earlier by using a VPN such as NordVPN, choosing U.K. from the list and selecting BBC iPlayer.
Can I watch 'Riot Women' online in Australia?
At the time of writing there has been no announcement about if or where "Riot Women" will be broadcast in Australia but if that changes you'll read about it here first.
Brit working or on vacation Down Under? You can still catch the show on the BBC by using a VPN such as NordVPN.
Can I watch 'Riot Women' online in New Zealand?
There are currently no plans to air "Riot Women" in New Zealand but if you are a Brit currently there for work or vacation you can catch the show on BBC iPlayer by using a VPN such as NordVPN.
'Riot Women' - Need to Know
'Riot Women' - Cast
- Joanna Scanlan as Beth
- Rosalie Craig as Kitty
- Lorraine Ashbourne as Jess
- Tamsin Greig as Holly
- Taj Atwal as Nisha
- Jonny Green as Tom
- Macy Seelochan as Miranda
- Sue Johnston as Auntie Mary
- Ben Batt as Rudy
- Chandeep Uppal as Kam
- Amelia Bullmore as Yvonne
- Ellise Chappell as Fearne
- Shannon Lavelle as Chloe
- Mark Bazeley as Gavin
- Brodie Nkome as Rocco
- Klae Speight as Junior
- Natalia Tena as Inez
- Anne Reid as Nancy
- Tony Hirst as Jerry
- Ledi Losada as Manuela
- Oliver Huntingdon as Carl
- Emily Stott as Grace
- Kevin Doyle as Michael
- Olwen May as Margaret
- Angel Coulby as Jenny
- Jacob Greenway as Jacob
- Alyce Liburd as Maxine
- Claire Skinner as Tricia
- Lawrence Hodgson-Mullings as Calvin
- Richard Fleeshman as Jojo
- Nicholas Gleaves as Tony
- Darren Tighe as Duty Sergeant
- Asan N'Jie as Shrimp
- Thomas Flynn as Spongebob
'Riot Women' - Episode Guide
Season 01 Episode 01: In a quiet house, Beth Thornton - burnt out and on the brink - prepares to end it all, when an unexpected phone call changes everything. Jess Burchill assembles an unlikely crew of sassy women to form a punk rock band for a local talent contest. Holly Gaskell, a police officer, arrests chaotic Kitty Eckersley, who might just prove to be the missing ingredient the band - and suicidal Beth - needs.
S01 E02: As Beth and Kitty become the Lennon and McCartney of the Riot Women, Jess’s feud with rival Hebden bar owner Inez reignites, Nisha grapples with a toxic colleague, and Holly realises her mother’s dementia is worsening. A high-octane first band rehearsal gives way to common ground, but as the women start to bond, a long-buried secret smacks Kitty in the face.
S01 E03: Struggling to process the shock of her discovery, Kitty teeters on the verge on a nervous breakdown. Jess writes one song about ungrateful children, Yvonne writes another about the traumas of giving birth, and Holly’s promising date turns into an excruciating encounter in the bedroom. Kitty’s discovery leads to an explosive Sunday lunch round at Beth’s house.
S01 E04: It's the talent contest! After six weeks at Beth’s house, a happy, healthy Kitty’s world shifts when she runs into her abusive ex-boyfriend Gavin and SpongeBob brings news of her elusive gangland father. Nisha is backed into a brutal corner at work, and instead of the bland pop song they’ve practised, the Riot Women decide to sing a much more incendiary song, one that Beth and Kitty wrote last week.
S01 E05: While Kitty spends the night in police custody with a broken hand, Beth and Tom have a tragic, terminal conversation about her. Jess has a massive hangover and forgets what she agreed to the night before. Holly visits Nisha in hospital and gets a disturbing shock. Jenny Bollocks wants to manage the Riot Women! But is there enough good will left to move forward?
S01 E06: Beth does everything she can to reconcile Tom and Kitty, but everyone’s still struggling. Holly finds a clever way to deal with Rudy, and when the Riot Women make their first proper recording, she gets an eye-popping surprise. Kitty finally goes to court for trashing Gavin’s Jag, and former gangland boss, Keith Eckersley, makes an unexpected appearance, with life-changing news for Kitty.
What has Sally Wainwright, "Riot Women" creator, writer, exec producer and lead director, had to say about the show"?
How did the idea for the series come about?
I had the idea for the series about 10 years ago. It was about finding a life-affirming way to talk about the menopause. I’ve always wanted to write about a rock band, so it was just putting those two things together.
How would you describe the tone of the show?
Uplifting, I hope! There’s a lot of humour in it and a lot of laughs. The dialogue is nice and buoyant and the actors certainly deliver that. It’s got a huge dark story all the way through that affects two of the central Riot Women. It’s kind of on a level of a Greek tragedy what happens to them, what befalls them, and what they discover about themselves and each other. It’s very powerful but very human, very joyous and celebratory too.
The five band members are all very different. Can you tell us about each of them, as a way of introduction?
Joanna Scanlan is playing Beth who we meet in episode one and she’s in a really dark place. Everything is piling on top of her with lots of different demands from her son, her elderly mother and her work and within all that she feels she’s losing her identity. It’s a common experience with menopause that you lose sight of who you are, and at a time in life when you felt like you’ve got to know who you are, it suddenly all disappears. It slips through your fingers, and I’ve experienced that myself.
Beth’s friend, Jess (played by Lorraine Ashbourne), rings her up and says “do you want to be in a rock band?” – it’s just for a silly little talent contest that the local primary school are putting on. Beth latches onto this and takes it a bit too seriously and then gets upset when the others in the band think it’s just for fun. She walks out of their first meeting feeling disillusioned and completely by chance bumps into Kitty (played by Rosalie Craig). They’re like chalk and cheese... but they happen to get on really well.
We first meet Kitty when she’s in a very dark place and she’s trying to end it all. Kitty and Beth meet and they bring out the best in each other. They then find out they do have something much more profound and shocking in common, which is where the Greek tragedy element comes in. They go on a massive journey together which, as well as having this dark thread through it, it’s actually very creative.
There’s Holly (played by Tamsin Greig) and we first meet her on the day she retires and she’s actually arresting Kitty for trashing a supermarket. Holly is very ‘can do’ and has a policy of always saying yes. Jess has a list of all the people she can ask to be in her silly little rock band and there’s a tick next to Holly’s name. What you see is what you get with Holly.
Yvonne is played by Amelia Bullmore – it’s the fourth time I’ve worked with Amelia and it’s brilliant. Yvonne is Holly’s big sister. She just says it how it is and doesn’t try to flatter people or agree with anyone for the wrong reasons. Then Kitty shows up and she’s the only one that really stands up to her, equally with Yvonne to Kitty. They have a couple of nice head-to-head scenes, which was great to write.
How did you approach different characters?
I wanted Kitty to be the singer because we meet her doing karaoke in episode one and she was always meant to look like a rockstar and be a bit of a wildcard. Beth was always going to play the keyboard because she’s a teacher and you could imagine her having piano lessons growing up. Jess’ story is that her husband left his drumkit behind in the garage when he cleared off, so she’s adopted it. For Holly and Yvonne, the idea was that Yvonne had guitar lessons as a kid, so she picked up the lead and Holly plays the bass because she arrested someone, and he lent her his bass guitar.I’m really proud of them, they’re all my little riot babies! It’s been a great crew and team. The Riot Women have really put their hearts and souls into it, and it’s been so uplifting to work with them. They’re all top-drawer people.
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