Riot Women cast revealed for Sally Wainwright's next big drama

Casting has been revealed for the brand new drama from Sally Wainwright, Riot Women.

Leading the charge in the upcoming BBC and BritBox International co-production are Joanna Scanlan, Rosalie Craig, Tamsin Greig, Lorraine Ashbourne, and Amelia Bullmore.

The series dives into the lives of five women who, despite their chaotic personal lives, form a makeshift punk-rock band to enter a local talent contest.

But this isn’t just about making music. As they pen their first original song, they quickly realise they have a lot more to say.

These women are juggling demanding jobs, relationships gone awry, and adult children. But their band becomes more than just an outlet for their frustrations—it sparks real change in their lives.

And things take a dramatic turn when a long-hidden secret between two band members, Kitty and Beth, threatens to tear everything apart.

Meet the cast

Leading the cast and the Riot Women band are 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.

Anne Reid (The Sixth Commandment) will play Nancy, Holly and Yvonne’s mother, with Sue Johnston (The Royle Family) as Jess’s Aunt Mary. Peter Davison (Doctor Who) and Claire Skinner (Outnumbered) and Angel Coulby (Merlin) also join the cast.

The series will also star Taj Atwal (Line of Duty), Chandeep Uppal (Holby City), Jonny Green (White Lines), Ellise Chappell (Yesterday), Macy Jacob Seelochan (Shadow and Bone), Tony Hirst (Hollyoaks), Shannon Lavelle (Hamlin), Amit Shah (Happy Valley), Rick Warden (Red Eye), Ben Batt (Domina), Natalia Tena (Harry Potter), Melanie La Barrie (& Juliet), Oliver Huntingdon (Sherwood), Richard Fleeshman (The Sandman), Olwen May (A Very British Scandal), Kevin Doyle (Downton Abbey) and Nicholas Gleaves (Bodyguard).

Sally Wainwright, creator, writer, and executive producer says: “I think I am more excited about this than anything else I have ever written. Ever. Oh my God. We have five of the most fabulous actresses on the planet playing the Riot Women. It’s scarily exciting.”