BBC’s New Drama Is All About The Darker Side Of ’60s London

It was back in 2019 that the BBC announced that they were teaming up with critically acclaimed novelist Jo Bloom to create an adaptation of her anti-fascist thriller Ridley Road. Now, the four-part series is soon to land on our screens and push us to very edge of our seats.

Revealing the darker side of ‘60s London and the “staggering contribution the Jewish community made in the battle against racism,” writer and showrunner Sarah Solemani makes big promises about the series. Here’s everything we know about Ridley Road.

Ridley Road Plot & Trailer

According to the BBC synopsis, Ridley Road is made up of four, one-hour episodes. Set against the backdrop of 1960s East London, it chars the country’s mood and the ripple left by the Second World War which saw a neo-Nazism movement being in the capital. Aggi O’Casey takes centre stage as Vivien Epstein, a 20-year-old Jewish hairdresser from Manchester with big aspirations.

She moves to London in search of Jack Fox, a man she had a brief but meaningful romance with months prior. Her search leads to confront the dark resurgence of fascism, countered by the Jewish community in street battles around Ridley Road in London’s East End. She ends up infiltrates the National Socialist Movement, effectively leaving behind everything that she knows to fight for the one she loves. (Tense doesn’t even being to cover it.)

“I am thrilled to be working with RED and the BBC to bring this little-known slice of British history to the screen,” said Solemani in a statement.

Ridley Road Cast

Speaking about her role in Ridley Road, Aggi O’Casey said, “Sarah Solemani has blown me away with the detail, sensitivity, and complexity with which she has written Vivien. I can’t wait to bring this vital and little-known story to life.”

O’Casey is joined by No Offence’s Tom Varey as her love interest. He said, “I’m so proud to be working on such a powerful, beautiful, important story.” Years and Years’ Rory Kinnear, Eddie Marsan who was in Deceit, and Friday Night Dinner’s Tracy-Ann Oberman are also central characters in the series.

“I'm honoured to be playing the role of Soly, the leader of the '62' Group of Jewish anti-fascists who took on the National Socialist Movement in Ridley Road,” said Marsan. “In recent years anti-Semitism has re-emerged and now, more than ever, we need to hear the stories of how normal men and women put their lives on the line to stamp out this cancer.”

The cast is rounded off by Samantha Spiro who was in Sex Education and plays Vivien’s mother, Liza. Eastenders’ Tamzin Outhwaite plays Vivien’s boss and Rita Tushingham who starred in The Pale Horse plays Nettie, Vivien’s landlady.

Ridley Road Release Date

The BBC has confirmed that Ridley Road will begin airing weekly on BBC One from October 3, 2021. All episodes will be available via iPlayer on that day also.

This post will be updated with additional plot and cast details as more information on Ridley Road becomes available.