Riot Women: The Story So Far

The series opened with a powerful and unsettling moment: Beth (Joanna Scanlan), a lonely mother struggling with isolation and depression, prepares to end her own life. But a spontaneous phone call from her friend Jess (Lorraine Ashbourne), who is desperately trying to assemble a band to escape her own mid-life frustrations, inadvertently interrupts her plan. According to Radio Times, this opening was “one of the boldest, rawest first scenes of any BBC drama this year” (source: Radio Times).

Joining Jess and Beth are retired police officer Holly (Tamsin Greig), her midwife sister Yvonne (Amelia Bullmore), and later Kitty (Rosalie Craig), a fiercely talented but deeply unstable singer Beth hears performing in a pub.

Together, they form an unlikely band — and an even more unlikely friendship circle — but soon discover their personal histories are far more connected than they ever imagined.

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The Beth–Kitty Bombshell

As Beth and Kitty grow closer, Kitty confides that she gave birth to a son, Tom, at just 12 years old — a baby she was forced to give up for adoption.

Beth, in turn, reveals that she adopted her son 30 years ago, and when she mentions the hospital and timeline, the truth clicks into place:
Tom is Kitty’s biological son.

This revelation — described by Digital Spy as “a vintage Wainwright twist, devastating but rooted in emotional truth” (source: Digital Spy) — instantly shifts the dynamic between the women.

Beth, horrified but compassionate, agrees to help Kitty tell Tom the truth. But the conversation goes poorly. Tom is shocked, overwhelmed, and disturbed by Kitty’s erratic behaviour. Matters worsen when Kitty punches Tom’s father-in-law after an insensitive remark, confirming his fears that she is unpredictable and unsafe.

Only when Kitty finally opens up about her traumatic childhood — including the abuse that led to her pregnancy — does Tom begin to soften. In the finale, he slowly starts to see both women as family, united by their love for him.

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The Nisha Storyline: Corruption, Assault, and Retaliation

One of the season’s most disturbing arcs belongs to Nisha (Taj Atwal), Holly’s former police colleague.

After being sexually harassed by corrupt officer Alec “Rudy” Rudenko, Holly attempts to help by reporting him — an action that backfires catastrophically.

As violence escalates, Nisha is targeted by racist attackers, beaten, and left unconscious in a secluded alley. Rudy discovers her, but instead of helping, he takes explicit photos and worsens her injuries before abandoning her.

The brutality of the scene — which BBC News described as “unflinching and difficult to watch, but painfully reflective of real-world cases of systemic failure” (source: BBC) — leaves Nisha traumatised, injured, and furious with Holly.

In the finale, Holly delivers proof of Rudy’s corruption, giving Nisha the power to report him. Whether she will follow through remains deliberately unresolved, hinting strongly at a potential season two.

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Why Kitty Spirals

Kitty enters the series already unstable — shoplifting vodka, stealing knives, overdosing in public, and getting repeatedly arrested.

Her spiral is linked to her abusive boyfriend Gavin, who lies about leaving his wife and has his friends assault her before kicking her out. When Kitty retaliates by smashing his car with a sledgehammer, she is arrested by Rudy, who manipulates the situation to push for prison time.

Desperate, Kitty temporarily returns to Gavin, believing reconciliation might convince him to drop charges. Instead, he attacks her again, trapping her in a cycle of violence that reflects the devastating patterns of her past.

Beth eventually rescues her, encouraging her to report him — a choice that ultimately saves her when the court dismisses her charges after Gavin becomes an unreliable witness.

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The Band’s Fate

The band’s journey is chaotic and inconsistent — much like the women themselves. They slowly learn to work as a team, survive humiliating setbacks, and eventually place third in a talent contest.

A promoter expresses interest, but Kitty’s erratic behaviour threatens to destroy everything. The group splits, only to reunite once Kitty begins healing.

But everything hangs in the balance again when Kitty faces prison — after all, who are Riot Women without their lead singer?

The finale resolves this when Kitty unexpectedly walks free, allowing the band to perform at a local festival, delivering their most triumphant moment yet.

The Guardian praised the finale performance scene as “a cathartic explosion of rage, joy and mid-life liberation” (source: The Guardian).

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Will There Be a Season 2?

Though BBC has not formally announced a second season, the finale leaves multiple storylines wide open.

In the closing scene, Kitty receives a call from her gangster father, Keith, who is in prison. He gives her the names of the three men who abused her as a child.

Earlier, Kitty admitted she was unsure whether to involve the police, saying:
“I might just deal with that myself.”

It’s the kind of morally grey cliffhanger that Sally Wainwright is known for — and one that virtually guarantees demand for a continuing story.

Radio Times and The Independent have both speculated that a second series is “highly likely” given the strong ratings and critical response (sources: Radio Times, The Independent).