Happy Valley creator's new series Riot Women casts Doctor Who and Outnumbered stars

Riot Women dives "headfirst into the world of five women, along with two riotous backing singers, [who] come together to create a makeshift punk rock band in order to enter a local talent contest".

But as they write their first original song, they soon discover they have a lot to say - and this is their way to say it!

The synopsis for the series continues: "As they juggle demanding jobs, grown-up children, complicated parents, husbands who’ve buggered off, and disastrous dates and relationships, the band becomes a catalyst for change in their lives, and it's going to make them question everything.

"The six-part series is a testament to the power of friendship, music, and the resilience of women who refuse to be silenced by age or expectation.

"As the story (set in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire) progresses, it's more than music that binds them; a deeply potent, long-buried secret begins to surface – one that unexpectedly entangles Kitty and Beth, the two unlikely creative masterminds behind the band, in a complex triangle, and threatens to tear everything apart."

Joanna Scanlan (The Thick of It) will star as Beth, Rosalie Craig (Moonflower Murders) as Kitty, Tamsin Greig (Friday Night Dinner) as Holly, Lorraine Ashbourne (Sherwood) as Jess, and Amelia Bullmore (The Buccaneers) as Yvonne.

Anne Reid (The Sixth Commandment) will portray Nancy, with Sue Johnston (The Royle Family) as Aunt Mary. Peter Davison (Doctor Who), Claire Skinner (Outnumbered) and Angel Coulby (Merlin) also join the line-up.

Additional casting includes 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) and Ben Batt (Domina).

Finally, there's 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).

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Wainwright previously spoke to the Halifax Courier about the series. Of the new show's key characters, she explained: "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.

"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 called Seeing Red. I've had a lot of fun writing it."

In a statement of the casting, Wainwright said she is "more excited about this than anything else I have ever written".

"Oh, my God. We have five of the most fabulous actresses on the planet playing the Riot Women. It's scarily exciting."

Riot Women will premiere on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK next year.

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