Gransnet forums

TV, radio, film, Arts

Riot Women BBC1

(169 Posts)
Allira Sun 12-Oct-25 22:00:40

Is anyone else giving this a try?
It's by Sally Wainwright so I thought it would be good.

We might not bother again.

MayBee70 Thu 23-Oct-25 13:32:46

Started watching it last night and I like what I’ve seen so far albeit not in a ‘ can’t wait to watch the next episode sort of way’. I do like the way that that series seem to be in six episodes these days instead of eight.

MayBee70 Wed 22-Oct-25 16:59:30

I’m hoping Dept Q might eventually make its way onto another network that I can watch. I have to watch things like that when I’m babysitting or house sitting for my kids.

MayBee70 Wed 22-Oct-25 16:56:03

Thanks. I know I watched it at my partners but I think, at the time my son was staying with us so I had access to Netflix etc. so had to binge watch it while he was with us. I can’t get ITVX on my old tv but I can watch it on my iPad. I absolutely loved it. Another great series that seemed to slip under the radar.

PaynesGrey Wed 22-Oct-25 11:08:50

Renegade Nell is on ITVX.

www.itv.com/watch/renegade-nell/10a6596

butterandjam Wed 22-Oct-25 10:55:01

MayBee70

I was lucky in that, not being a fan of crime dramas ( with the exception of stuff like eg Cracker back in the day) I was able to catch up with the whole of Happy Valley in one glorious binge watch. First those who like her work can I recommend Renegade Nell which I think is now on Ch4 catchup. I’ve no idea why a second series wasn’t commissioned as I absolutely loved it. I’ve also never watched Last Tango in Halifax so that’s on my ever increasing list of must watches.

Last Tango in Halifax is such a treat; series one is replaying atm ( it's up to episode 3 I think, so catch up quick)

You might enjoy Dept Q on netflix; quirky crime series

Off to look for renegade nell.

twinnytwin Wed 22-Oct-25 10:52:10

We watched first episode last night. Fantastic! We're going to struggle not to binge watch the whole series! DH loved it too.

butterandjam Wed 22-Oct-25 10:47:23

We both loved it so much we bingewatched the whole thing.

One of the joys was all the little glimpses of landscape of Last Tango, Happy Valley, seamlessly woven into Riot Women. Anne Reid again. I spied the canal where Tommy Lee Royce hid in a narrow boat.

Recurring themes, rape and the child born of rape. Female suicide or survival. The far end of old age. Memory and forgetting. Evil and goodness.

It's another masterpiece from Sally W.

RosieandherMaw Tue 21-Oct-25 21:22:36

charley68

I have not watched this show, and do not intend to either.
I love Sally Wainwright's other work.

Fair enough.
Why comment on a thread about it though?

LucyAnna5 Tue 21-Oct-25 20:30:55

charley68

I have not watched this show, and do not intend to either.
I love Sally Wainwright's other work.

If you love her work, why are you not going to watch it?

charley68 Tue 21-Oct-25 20:13:15

I have not watched this show, and do not intend to either.
I love Sally Wainwright's other work.

RosieandherMaw Tue 21-Oct-25 18:58:52

merlotgran

Iam64

Thanks rosiesmaw, I was about to post in response to MayBees comment
Sally Wainwright is so good plus, good actors want to work with her

It was full of the Wainwright suspects wasn’t it?
Actors who she obviously trusts to play strong and/or vulnerable women to perfection.

Including the (usually lovely) Peter Davison as the nauseating Graham!
But I have an inkling that his wife Claire Skinner (Outnumbered) knows more than she is letting on. 🤔🤔🤔

PaynesGrey Tue 21-Oct-25 18:45:16

That's a shame if you don't like crime drama as her Scott & Bailey series (on ITVX) is excellent. Lesley Sharp as Janet Scott and Suranne Jones as Rachel Bailey, two dectectives working in a Manchester major crime team for Amelia Bullmore as Gill Murray with Pippa Haywood as her boss Julie Dodson. Four very strong female characters.

Some actors in that which people would recognise from Riot Women: Nicholas Gleaves playing Tony, Kevin Doyle as Michael and Ben Batt as the vile Rudenko.

MayBee70 Tue 21-Oct-25 16:29:19

I was lucky in that, not being a fan of crime dramas ( with the exception of stuff like eg Cracker back in the day) I was able to catch up with the whole of Happy Valley in one glorious binge watch. First those who like her work can I recommend Renegade Nell which I think is now on Ch4 catchup. I’ve no idea why a second series wasn’t commissioned as I absolutely loved it. I’ve also never watched Last Tango in Halifax so that’s on my ever increasing list of must watches.

merlotgran Tue 21-Oct-25 15:52:10

Iam64

Thanks rosiesmaw, I was about to post in response to MayBees comment
Sally Wainwright is so good plus, good actors want to work with her

It was full of the Wainwright suspects wasn’t it?
Actors who she obviously trusts to play strong and/or vulnerable women to perfection.

Iam64 Tue 21-Oct-25 14:23:00

Thanks rosiesmaw, I was about to post in response to MayBees comment
Sally Wainwright is so good plus, good actors want to work with her

RosieandherMaw Tue 21-Oct-25 14:04:57

MayBee70

I still haven’t seen it but plan to. Reviews on Must Watch were very mixed; it seems very much love it or loathe it. Strangely enough they said that a lot of men were enjoying it so I’d hope that it might make people more understanding about the menopause (maybe myself included because I just sailed though mine with no problems that I can think of).

TBH MayBee it’s not just about the menopause. I wonder if that’s the excuse some men have made about why they don’t want to watch it.
It is as has been said upthread, multilayered- about relationships, motherhood, “invisible” women, misogyny, sexual harassment, female equality, ageing, dementia, love, sex, “sisterhood,” weak men, (and a few who are not all bad!) strong women, and yes, the menopause but I’d be short- changing it to say that was all.
I could go on.
I’m at the end of episode 4 and it has got darker, but is still so uplifting and life-affirming.

PaynesGrey Tue 21-Oct-25 13:55:54

merlotgran

Iam64

I finished episode six last night. The complex personalities, the relationships so well drawn and acted There must be a series 2.

Without giving too much away I think we all want to see a particular character get his comeuppance.

I’m wondering if the names Keith has given to Kitty and what’s in the file Holly has given to Nisha will end up seeing a whole network of loathsome men uncovered.

I also want to know more about Yvonne. Amelia Bullmore is too good an actor to be in the shadow of the other four mature members of the band, which she is at the moment. She was moved by the Just Like Your Mother song but we didn’t learn much more than that or why she’s the less favoured of Nancy’s daughters.

Speaking of uncovered, I didn’t know that Jojo (Richard Fleeshman - aptly named) is the son of Sue Jenkins from Corrie (Gloria Todd) and Brookside (Jackie Corkhill). Once you know you can see the resemblance.

Too many other good actors in this playing small parts so it would be good to see how their characters are developed in a second series e.g. Claire Skinner’s Tricia and more of Jonathan Pryce.

MayBee70 Tue 21-Oct-25 13:26:07

I still haven’t seen it but plan to. Reviews on Must Watch were very mixed; it seems very much love it or loathe it. Strangely enough they said that a lot of men were enjoying it so I’d hope that it might make people more understanding about the menopause (maybe myself included because I just sailed though mine with no problems that I can think of).

merlotgran Tue 21-Oct-25 13:19:53

Iam64

I finished episode six last night. The complex personalities, the relationships so well drawn and acted There must be a series 2.

Without giving too much away I think we all want to see a particular character get his comeuppance.

Iam64 Tue 21-Oct-25 13:14:31

I finished episode six last night. The complex personalities, the relationships so well drawn and acted There must be a series 2.

Homestead62 Tue 21-Oct-25 10:08:49

I had a horrendous menopause. I suffered alone, only support being my husband and I really don't know where I would be without him. Zero help from GP and sadly with one exception, zero support from friends. I did approach one friend to be told it was so long ago she didn't remember it. I have not watched the drama yet, willing to give it a go. To anyone out there suffering like I did and wondering if you will get through another day, I hear you and I know how bad it is. Take care.

gentleshores Tue 21-Oct-25 04:50:57

Not quite menopause ... not quite punk. But it was great. We binge watched it. Some brilliant acting.

Referring to earlier comments - I had a horrendous perimenopause for a few years - thought I'd bleed to death and end up having to have a hysterectomy - but agnus castus herb resolved it. The "menopause" is when the periods stop! I was 50. They just stopped just like that. Never had another one again. No hot flushes (although apparently I radiated heat!). My only real symptoms were getting very scatty once a month around the time I would have had a period.

merlotgran Sun 19-Oct-25 23:00:14

RosieandherMaw

Brilliant!
I’m at the end of episode 2.
Is this going where I think it is?

Good twists. It gets better with every episode.

MollyNew Sun 19-Oct-25 22:21:09

Another brilliant episode. I'm quite enjoying watching one episode a week. I laughed at the list of acts for the talent show - "Mr Toplis and his magical musical kittens" or something similar grin

Maggiemaybe Sun 19-Oct-25 22:09:27

Gg123

Brilliant series…. But our male folk need to want to watch it too…. 🥹

Mine’s enjoying it and I’m loving it, so no conflicts of interest here. We’re not bingeing, even though I’m tempted - it’s perfect Sunday evening viewing, imho.