There is a fascinating TV series to be made about a menopausal rock band – Riot Women isn’t it | Tiff Bakker

Writer-director Sally Wainwright is a national treasure, but here she’s reduced the fury and passion of the riot grrrl movement to a minor plot device

There’s a moment in the first episode of Riot Women, the latest drama from the acclaimed writer-director Sally Wainwright, best known for Happy Valley, when a group of menopausal women are debating what songs they should cover in their newly formed menopausal rock band. Joanna Scanlan’s uptight and depressed Beth decides the Rolling Stones’ (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction – a song released in 1965 – might make a cool pick for this bunch of middle-aged punk rockers who, until now, seem to have heard of only Abba.

“Can you imagine, Satisfaction being sung by women of a certain age? Isn’t that interesting?” beams Beth with surprise, as if women over the age of 40 have suddenly forgotten what it’s like to have an orgasm. “It’s funny because we’re women. It’s poignant, like we’re still up for it.” “Fine, let’s all sing a song that makes us look like a bunch of lesbians,” chimes in Amelia Bullmore’s Yvonne.