U.K. TV screenwriting legend’s next series is about middle-aged women forming a punk band. I need ‘Riot Women’ now, thanks!

Sally Wainwright is a genuine British screenwriting legend. Her shows, from Happy Valley to Gentleman Jack to Scott & Bailey (and more) are all about strong, independent, talented, smart, angry, sad, harried, forgiving, protective, and loving women, and her next series is no different.

Wainwright never shies away from writing about the pain and difficulties of what it’s like to be a woman in a patriarchal world, whether that’s because her characters work as police officers in present-day Yorkshire or because they’re on the run as gender-swapped highwaymen in 18th century England. Now, Wainwright has turned her sights to punk music with her upcoming series Riot Women. The show sounds like an absolute and relatable blast, featuring a stellar cast of women as they form a punk-rock band to compete in a local talent show.

Punk music is the music of politics and struggle, powerful enough to spur the creation of an entire ideological movement in the late ’70s and early ’80s. It’s no wonder that Wainwright’s five menopausal female leads, played by Joanna Scanlan (After Love), Rosalie Craig (Moonflower Murders), Tamsin Greig (Episodes), Lorraine Ashbourne (Sherwood), and Amelia Bullmore (The Buccaneers), will feel revived by the music they’re making. They’re juggling dead-beat husbands, the horrors of modern-day dating, stressful jobs, adult children, and complicated parental relationships, all while trying to keep their heads above water. That would make anyone want to scream-sing. Why not scream-sing original lyrics?

According to the BBC, Riot Women is “a testament to the power of friendship, music, and the resilience of women who refuse to be silenced by age or expectation.” Say no more.

This is an undeniably refreshing premise considering we live in a world where the entertainment overlords more often than not believe women have an expiration date once they hit their mid-30s. Women tend to live longer than men! Why shouldn’t we see stories of menopausal, middle-aged women living their best lives? Why shouldn’t they get to enjoy the freedom of punk expression? There’s even “a song about HRT called ‘Seeing Red'” in the show. Come ON. That is EXCELLENT.

Younger women deserve to know what’s in store for them, even though menopause is, for some ludicrous reason, still considered a taboo subject. Older women deserve to see their experiences represented on screen. We all deserve to hear some kick-ass new punk music from the band ARXX. I will absolutely be sat for this six-episode series.

Riot Women will premiere in 2025 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the U.K. and BritBox in the U.S. and Canada.