‘Ridley Road’ recap: What happened in Episode 2?

The BBC’s adaptation of Ridley Road continued in the UK tonight.

From the executive producer of Downton Abbey and the makers of Last Tango in Halifax, the new four-part mini-series is based on Jo Bloom’s hit novel.

Ridley Road is a four-part thriller set against the backdrop of a swinging sixties London we haven’t seen: an East End world where far right fascism is on the rise.

Joining newcomers Aggi O’Casey and Tom Varey in the cast are Rory Kinnear (Penny Dreadful), Tracy-Ann Oberman (It’s a Sin), Eddie Marsan (The Pact), Tamzin Outhwaite (EastEnders), Samantha Spiro (Game of Thrones), Danny Hatchard (EastEnders), and Rita Tushingham (Doctor Zhivago).

Watch the trailer:

 

The official synopsis for Ridley Road reads: “Inspired by the struggle of the 62 Group, a coalition from the Jewish community who stood up against rising neo-Nazism in post-war Britain, Ridley Road tells the story of Vivien Epstein, a young Jewish woman (played by Agnes O’Casey).

“When Vivien starts to work with them and realises that Jack, her missing boyfriend (played by Tom Varey) has been badly injured, she infiltrates the NSM, a neo-Nazi movement which is becoming increasingly prominent in London, risking everything for her beliefs and for the man she loves.”

Ridley Road will air on PBS in the US in 2022.

Here’s a plot recap for the second episode, which aired on BBC One at 9pm on Sunday 10th October 2021:

Vivien (Agnes O’Casey), now undercover as Jane Carpenter, must convince Colin Jordan (Rory Kinnear) of her fascist sympathies in order to find out what happened to her true love Jack Morris (Tom Varey), known as ‘Peter Fox’ to the National Socialist Movement (NSM).

As she is welcomed deeper into the heart of the organisation, Vivien meets ‘fellow’ NSM girlfriend Elise (Hannah Onslow) and Colin Jordan’s young son, who take a liking to her.

But Vivien’s undercover work hasn’t gone unnoticed at her day job at the salon, and Barbara’s activist son Stevie (Gabriel Akuwudike) starts asking questions about her involvement with the NSM after he sees her enter their headquarters.

Will Vivien be able to maintain her cover and find out what happened to Jack?

And can any information she overhears help Soly (Eddie Marsan) and the 62 Group stop any further attacks?

Vivien must consider how far she is willing to go to find out.

Jo Bloom’s novel is available on Amazon.