Author of the popular West Yorkshire series Happy Valley, Gentleman Jack, and Last Tango In Halifax, Sally Wainwright is back with a new BBC drama comedy, Riot Women, set in Hebden Bridge. Yes, her new series returns once again to the Calderdale region – and who knows, Catherine Cawood might just pop up in a background shot?
Wainwright’s new BBC drama comedy, Riot Women – originally titled Hot Flush – will follow a punk band formed by five women going through menopause. In her return to Hebden Bridge, the protagonists find an unexpected outlet for their rage.
Speaking to the Yorkshire Post, Sally Wainwright said: “They’re angry and they’re going to sing about being angry and being of a certain age and all the stuff that goes with being of a certain age and having to go through the menopause at the same time.”
She continued: “They form a punk rock band to sing about what they’re angry about. It’s just me letting rip really! We’ve got a song about HRT [hormone replacement therapy] called ‘Seeing Red’. I’ve had a lot of fun writing it.”
The Happy Valley director has said that her new show will feature one of her favourite characters yet, saying: “You’ve not met her yet! It’s one of the Riot Women. She’s really exciting to write for.” And, when you’ve written the character Catherine Cawood, that means something.
Filming for the new show is set to start soon, as Wainwright is preparing to return to Calderdale for the next few months. The series synopsis reads as follows:
“Riot Women centres on the lives of five women of a certain age who come together to create a makeshift, butt-of-the-jokes punk-rock band to enter a talent contest. When they rehearse together, they suddenly discover that they have a lot more to say than they ever imagined, and this is the way to say it. It follows the women as they deal with demanding jobs, grown-up children who still eat up their energy, dependent parents, husbands who’ve let them down, and the menopause.
“The band becomes a catalyst for change in the women’s lives, and it’s going to make them question everything. As the story progresses, set in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, it becomes clear that more than music binds them. A deeply potent, long-buried secret connects Kitty and Beth, the two unlikely creative masterminds behind the band, and it’s a secret that could tear everything apart.”
Sally Wainwright’s new series, Riot Women, will air on BBC One and catch up on BBC iPlayer.
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