Sally Wainwright Explains Why She Wanted to Make ‘Riot Women’ — Watch Sneak Peek (VIDEO)

It’s smashing! Five British women of a certain age — played by a standout cast — form a punk-rock band to enter a local talent contest in this riotous six-parter from Sally Wainwright (Happy Valley). Check out TV Insider’s exclusive clip of the Riot Women series premiere above to see the compelling main character, classical pianist/underappreciated schoolteacher Beth (Joanna Scanlan, Slow Horses) tell a young music store employee, “We sing songs about being middle-aged, menopausal, and more or less invisible. And you thought The Clash were angry.”

Wainwright’s fifty-somethings exist in a mosh pit of work stress, aging parents, adult kids, and shifting hormones. But it’s a hell of a lot of fun to watch them slam dance through this life stage. “I wanted to try and find a way to write about [mid-life problems] that was a celebration of women at that age, putting it center stage in a way that wouldn’t be an energy drag that people might not want to watch a drama about,” says Wainwright. “Everybody’s fantasized at some point about being in a rock band. So, it just seemed a great juxtaposition of those two ideas. It’s about finding creativity and fulfillment.”

At first even finding their house keys seems a tough ask for Beth and hot mess singer Kitty (Rosalie Craig, 1899), who meet when both are having very, very bad days (vodka, cops, and knives are involved). Craig is belting out Hole’s “Doll Parts” in a bar with an agony that Beth recognizes but can’t express.

Beth realizes she’s found the vocalist for the band being formed by her bartender friend Jess (Lorraine Ashbourne, Bridgerton), a loving gran who has a troubled relationship with her adult daughter. Also in the lineup are retired cop Holly (Tamsin Greig, Episodes) and her sis, nurse Yvonne whose mom (Anne Reid, Last Tango in Halifax) is descending into dementia, a condition from which Wainwright’s mother also suffered.

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The band has three singers including Holly’s onetime police partner, the younger Nisha Lal (Taj Atwal, Line of Duty), whose storyline screams that there are no generational boundaries when it comes to things that can enrage women. “I wanted to reflect what it’s like for a young police officer who is doing her best and finds herself unable to do anything about it when she is attacked because of the repercussions that it’ll have at work and the effect that has on her friendship with Holly, who’s always just looked out for what’s best for her,” Wainwright says.

What Nisha will do about the crime against her is just one of the revelations in each episode. The most shocking one is shared between Kitty and Beth. “They find out that they’ve got an even deeper bond than they realize,” Wright reveals.

Despite some real pain, “Through the power of the music, they realize things about themselves. They gain confidence,” says Wainwright, who in real life plays the drums and guitar. “By the end, it is about a group who really trust and love each other. It’s joyful. I’d love if everybody started playing instruments with other people. It’s hard, but when you get it right, it’s such a buzz.”

Riot Women, Series Premiere, Wednesday, January 14, BritBox