Riot Women series one has just reached its conclusion on BBC One, with an ending that tees it up perfectly for a series two.
The six-part series – from iconic Happy Valley and Last Tango in Halifax writer Sally Wainwright – placed five middle-aged women at the centre of the drama.
On the surface, all of them were very different, but each was united by life struggles – and the menopause.
They came together to form an unlikely rock band but discovered their lives were far more interweaved, building unbreakable bonds.
Here’s everything that happened in the Riot Women ending on BBC One.
*** Warning: spoilers for the Riot Women ending below***
Riot Women plot in a nutshell
Riot Women opened with a devastating scene: Beth, a lonely mum of one – beautifully portrayed by Joanna Scanlan – planned to take her own life. But fate had other plans for her, and a call from her friend Jess (Lorraine Ashbourne) who was trying to form a band find a reason to stay alive, at least for a while longer…
As well as Jess, the band also included local retired police officer, Holly (Tamsin Greig) and her midwife sister, Yvonne (Amelia Bullmore).
Then came Kitty (Rosalie Craig), who Beth met after hearing her sing in a local pub.
Kitty, who became lead singer of the band, was hiding a devastating secret that was literally destroying her life.
Beth and Kitty link
As the women got to know each other, Kit confided that she had a grown-up son, Tom, who she’d had adopted as a newborn baby. This child she gave up 30 years ago was not trying to get in touch with her.
Beth, meanwhile, had son she adopted… 30 years ago.
As Beth talked about Tom’s age and the hospital she collected him from, the penny dropped. But the bombshells didn’t end there.
Kitty abuse hell
We discovered that Kitty suffered a traumatic childhood: she was abused and became pregnant at just 12 years old.
Stunned and sympathetic Beth accepted the bombshell that Kitty was her son’s birth mother.
And they formed a united front to break the news to Tom.
Obviously, the news was a complete shock. Especially as Kitty wasn’t exactly what he was hoping his natural mum would be like. And really not helped by Kitty punching Tom’s father-in-law after he made a rude remark.
Tom thought Kitty was taking advantage of Beth’s kind nature. The revelation that Kitty was the daughter of a notorious organised crime gang leaderonly made things worse.
Tom and Kitty bond
Eventually, Kitty opened up to Tom about her horrific childhood and how she fell pregnant with him. He immediately softened towards her.
By now they also both shared an unflappable love for Beth.
Riot Women ending: What happened to Nisha?
Nisha, Holly’s former police colleague, endured escalating abuse at the hands of corrupt officer Alec “Rudy” Rudenko. After Rudy sexually harassed and later assaulted her at work, Holly reported him to her superior – who was also her ex-husband – in an attempt to protect Nisha. But this well-intentioned act had devastating consequences.
In episode four, Nisha was violently attacked by racist thugs and left unconscious, bleeding, and humiliated in a secluded alley. The officer who discovered her was, tragically, Rudy. Seizing the moment for revenge, he took explicit photos of her before releasing her from the railings, causing serious injuries including a fractured pelvis and broken collarbone. Nisha survived but was left deeply traumatised.
Initially, she blamed Holly for triggering Rudy’s retaliation. However, by the final episode, Holly made amends by giving Nisha evidence proving Rudy’s corruption. Armed with everything she needed to report him, Nisha was positioned to finally seek justice – though the series leaves us wondering whether she followed through, perhaps setting the stage for a second season.
Riot Women ending: Why Kitty lost it
When Kitty first appeared, she was in a self-destructive spiral – shoplifting vodka and knives, swallowing paracetamol in a supermarket aisle, and ultimately being arrested by Holly and Nisha.
Her breakdown stemmed from learning that her boyfriend, Gavin, had lied about leaving his wife and had even arranged for his friends to assault her before throwing her out of his flat.
After retaliating by smashing his car with a sledgehammer, Kitty was arrested – thanks to Rudy – and faced the threat of returning to prison, a place she had been in and out of for drug dealing and criminal damage.
Desperate for somewhere to stay, Kitty briefly returned to Gavin, hoping reconciliation might persuade him to drop the charges. But she quickly realised he hadn’t changed. When Gavin discovered she’d told the police about his abuse, he brutally attacked her again, leaving Kitty trapped in the same cycle of violence she’d been trying to escape.
Did Kitty go to jail?
Thankfully, Beth was on hand once again to pick up the pieces after Kitty was beaten by Gavin. She persuaded Kitty to go to the police, something that eventually paid off when she went to court for her hearing in the Riot Women ending.
Kitty expected to go to jail for six months but was told that the case had been dismissed as Gavin was no longer a credible witness.
She was stunned. Especially as things didn’t usually work out in her favour, Kitty then walked free, avoiding going back to jail.
Did the band stay together?
While the band was a lifeline for each of the women, their path to success was a rocky one. At first they were all finding their feet, learning to gel as a band.
When they came third in the talent contest, they were approached by a promotor, who promised to help them hit the big time. All this was jeopardised, though, when Kitty went off on another bender. Fed up with Kitty being so unreliable, the women called time on the band.
Thankfully, Kitty subsequently got herself together and the band were reunited and headed for the recording studio.
But, once again, the future of the band was thrown into jeopardy when Kitty faced prison. After all, who were Riot Women without their lead singer?
Thankfully disaster was averted when Kitty avoided jail. At the end of the series the band played their set at the local festival and were a roaring success.
Will there be a season 2 of Riot Women?
Although there’s no official announcement from the BBC about a series 2 of Riot Women, the door has definitely been left open for more.
The episode ended with Kitty getting a call from her gangster dad, Keith, who was in prison. He finally gave her the names of the three men who abused her as a child.
Earlier in the episode. Kitty told Holly that she wanted justice for what the men did to her. She hinted that she might not go to the police, saying: “I might just deal with that myself.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, contact The Samaritans on 116 123. They are available for free at any time.