Menopause Rocks: Actor Amelia Bullmore on her role in the new Sally Wainright series Riot Women — That’s Not My Age

The phenomenal, Bafta-winning writer, Sally Wainwright (Happy Valley, Last Tango in Halifax, Gentleman Jack) has turned her attention to menopause in a new six-part BBC series Riot Women. Considering that half the people on the planet are women, and that in England there are over 10 million women who are aged 50 and over, it shouldn’t feel surprising to see menopausal women on TV, but this on-screen presence has been a long time coming. The first episode of Riot Women airs tonight on BBC1 at 9pm, and it looks like a cracking show. The stellar cast: Amelia Bullmore, Lorraine Ashbourne, Tasmin Greig, Joanna Scanlan and Rosalee Craig, play midlife women who form a punk rock band in order to take part in a local fundraising contest.

Wainwright portrays women brilliantly – I always loved the calmer moments between hard nut, police sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) and her sister Clare ( Siobhan Finneran) in Happy Valley – one of the best TV dramas, ever. And, in this new series the Riot Women soon bond over their shared experience of the demands of midlife; juggling ageing parents and teenage or grown-up children, while maintaining a career and going through menopause. ‘And you thought The Clash were angry,’ says Beth, a school teacher, played by Joanna Scanlan in the trailer.

Tamsin Greig and Amelia Bullmore in Riot Women. Photos: Courtesy of the BBC

Actor and writer Amelia Bullmore, plays lead guitarist, Yvonne, in the show – all the Riot Women actually learned how to play their instruments so they could rock out realistically  – here we chat about menopause, midlife and music:

You’ve worked with Sally Wainwright quite a few times – how does it feel to get the call up?

Well, it was an email and I was in the Holiday Inn in Rochdale on a chilly November night in 2023 when I found it in my inbox. The invitation was to be in this show, playing Yvonne, and the email explained that the job would involve learning the electric guitar. There was a preparation period built in and lessons would be laid on. I was delighted and excited. I read the scripts I’d been sent very quickly, and said yes very quickly.

Did you model yourself on anyone? And how long did it take you to learn to play the guitar?

I had six months to learn guitar basics and the songs we play in the show. Great songs, written by Arxx. I didn’t model myself on any particular lead guitarists but I’ve come to appreciate the dizzying skill the great guitarists use to make all the gorgeous sounds I’ve taken for granted, in music I love. I went and bought a beautiful guitar with my guitar teacher. (Gibson SG with cherry red lacquer finish if you really wanna know). The first guitar I was given was just too heavy. The SG felt right immediately. That was pretty amazing. An amp was delivered to my house. There is so much to learn. Even before you make a note, your hands and brain are wrestling with new tasks and ideas.

The Guardian described your character as ‘ a midwife with a stick up her arse’. How do you feel about that?

Fine by me.

Were you into punk as a teenager? Any favourite bands/ songs/ haircuts etc?

My bus to and from school went from the King’s Road so I was very familiar with punks, the punk shops opening up – SEX, Seditionaries – and the gathering of the most magnificent punks outside the old Safeways. There were also plenty of girls wandering the King’s Road dressed in Laura Ashley and I wasn’t happy when I was given TWO copies of The Sloane Rangers Handbook one Christmas. I wasn’t a Sloane Ranger but nor was I a punk. It would’ve been a bit rich given my cushy girlhood.

I’m a sucker for melody and writerly lyrics so I was more into The Jam, Elvis Costello and The Specials than the pogoing, spitting, furious, rawest expressions of punk. Start by The Jam never ever fails to galvanise me. The tightness, the insistence, the energy. The harmonies! Style-wise, I loved a rag in my hair, a bandana worn cowboy bib-style and Mary Quant purple eyeliner. I experimented with purple and (very briefly) blue lip liner too. Speaking of blue liner – one of the major cultural shifts I predict Riot Women will bring about is soaring sales of blue eye liner, thanks to Lorraine Ashbourne’s, Jess.

And how did it feel rocking out in your 60s? 

It felt great. The gift was the structure and the deadline – to be supported in learning an instrument from scratch (which would otherwise be pretty daunting) and to have such a clear goal. The fear definitely made me conscientious. My guitar followed me everywhere and I felt twitchy if a day went by without practice. My hand span stretched, my fingertips toughened and by very, very, very small degrees I began to get a bit better. I love the sound of the electric guitar. Even doing a spider exercise or practising time-keeping with a repeated note is a pleasure and that’s before you learn to mute strings, bend strings, vibrate strings and start to do all kinds of wonderful stuff that makes you feel like a real player. It’s pretty damn good playing on your own but playing together was a massive joy. I’m still learning guitar.

How was your menopause? 

Not too bad, all said. Poor sleep, hot flushes, sweats and a confidence drop were all helped by HRT, which I still take.

What are the meno-positives?

The end of periods. The unpredictable heavy bleeding of the dying throes was no fun at all.

Is it important to show women at this stage of their lives on TV? Or are we over The Change?

I think it will mean a lot to a lot of people to see and hear what Sally has her women do and say in Riot Women. It’s not actually a show about The Change. That’s an element of it. It’s definitely about change and self-expression but the key to it is Sally’s power to entertain. She’s looking at disappointment, loss, aggression, sexual violence, friendship, the power of music, untapped powers – and she delivers this world in a compelling, involving, humorous and troubling way. She gets into all the corners, uniquely.

Apart from how to play lead guitar, did you learn anything else from Riot Women?

All the people obsessed with being in a band are completely and utterly right.

And, if you haven’t tuned in yet, I recorded a podcast with Amelia a couple of years ago (listen to it HERE).

This post was published on
thatsnotmyage.com
on October 12, 2025 and written by Alyson Walsh.