‘Ridley Road’ premiere date confirmed: When does new 1960s thriller start?

It’s been announced when the BBC’s adaptation of Ridley Road begins in the UK.

From Downton Abbey executive producer Rebecca Eaton and the makers of Last Tango in Halifax, the new period drama is based on Jo Bloom’s hit novel.

Ridley Road has been adapted for television by writer and Bridget Jones’ Baby actress Sarah Solemani.

The four-part mini-series is described as “a 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.”

Watch the trailer:

 

The official synopsis 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 premiere in the UK at 9pm on Sunday nights from 3rd October on BBC One.

The series will air on PBS in the US in 2022.

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).

Executive producer Nicola Shindler (Happy Valley) previously commented: “It’s hugely exciting to adapt this story into a drama. I loved the book, and Sarah’s script has brilliantly captured the passionate love story coupled with the social tensions amid the rise of fascism and the vivid wonderment of the swinging sixties.”

Jo Bloom’s novel is available on Amazon.