''Ridley Road'' is a British four-part television drama series which premiered on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

on 3 October 2021, about Jewish opposition to

British Fascism file:Flash and circle.svg, The flash and circle symbol was first used by the British Union of Fascists (BUF). British fascism is the form of fascism which is promoted by some political parties and movements in the United Kingdom. It is based on ...

in the 1960s. It was adapted by

Sarah Solemani Sarah Solemani (born 4 September 1982) is an English actress, writer and activist. She is best known for her role as Becky in the BAFTA winning sitcom '' Him & Her'' and playing Renee Zellweger's best friend Miranda in '' Bridget Jones's Baby' ...

from Jo Bloom's 2014 novel of the same name. The series is directed by Lisa Mulcahy and the executive producer is

Nicola Shindler Nicola Shindler (born 8 October 1968) is a British television producer and executive, and founder of the independent television drama production company Quay Street Productions, having founded and run Red Production Company from 1998 to 2020. S ...

Plot summary

Vivien Epstein is the daughter in a traditional suburban 1960s

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

Jewish family, comprising father David, mother Liza and a relative Roza whom the family is sheltering. The father arranges a marriage (with neither Vivien's desire nor her consent) with the father of a local Jewish boy. Vivien already has a beau, Jack, who leaves for London, desolate. Vivien has no intention of becoming a bride. She leaves to find some Jewish relatives in London, rents a room with non-Jewish East End resident Nettie Jones, and gets a job as a hairdresser in

Soho SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...

. Far-right fascism is on the rise. One of her East End relatives, Soly Malinovsky, is a London

black cab A hackney or hackney carriage (also called a cab, black cab, hack or taxi) is a carriage or car for hire. A hackney of a more expensive or high class was called a remise. A symbol of London and Britain, the black taxi is a common sight on t ...

driver who heads a Jewish anti-fascist group. He asks Vivien to get involved ("anti-fascists do, they don't just say"). She agrees to infiltrate the organisation of

Colin Jordan John Colin Campbell Jordan (19 June 1923 – 9 April 2009) was a British politician and a leading figure in post-war neo-Nazism in the UK. In the far-right circles of the 1960s, Jordan represented the most explicitly Nazi inclination in his ope ...

, the neo-Nazi leader of the East End thugs. Jordan's organisation (where Jack is already undercover) is based in the country mansion of a far-right English aristocrat. Vivien affects a relationship with Jordan and his young son, and she allows Jordan to seduce her. However, both Vivien and Jack have their cover blown and are both in danger of being killed, but they each separately manage hair-raising escapes, Vivien taking a suitcase of incriminating documents that prove that Jordan has set up an illegal training camp for a neo-Nazi militia. (The police agree to investigate and prosecute Jordan.) Vivien's parents, who were devastated at her abandonment of the family home and the arranged betrothal, are now very proud of her anti-fascist work. After a tearful family reunion, Vivien flies off to

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

with Jack.

Cast

Agnes O'Casey Agnes Eustacia Kenig (born 1995/1996), known professionally as Agnes O'Casey, is an English/Irish actress. On television, she is known for her role in the BBC One drama '' Ridley Road'' (2021). Her films include '' The Miracle Club'' and ''Lies ...

as Vivien Epstein *

Tom Varey Tom Varey is a British actor. He is known for his roles in '' Pond Life'', '' No Offence'' and '' Ridley Road''. Early life Varey grew up in Mossley, Greater Manchester. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art for three years from 201 ...

as Jack Morris *

Rory Kinnear Rory Michael Kinnear (born 17 February 1978) is an English actor. He won two Olivier Awards, both at the National Theatre, in 2008 for his portrayal of Sir Fopling Flutter in ''The Man of Mode'', and for playing the William Shakespeare villain ...

, leader of the

British Movement The British Movement (BM), later called the British National Socialist Movement (BNSM), is a British neo-Nazi organisation founded by Colin Jordan in 1968. It grew out of the National Socialist Movement (NSM), which was founded in 1962. Frequen ...

* Romane Portail as Jordan's wife,

Françoise Dior Marie Françoise Suzanne Dior (7 April 1932 – 20 January 1993) was a French socialite and neo-Nazi underground financier. She was the niece of French fashion designer Christian Dior and Resistance fighter Catherine Dior, who publicly distanc ...

Eddie Marsan Edward Maurice Charles Marsan (born 9 June 1968) is an English actor. He won the London Film Critics Circle Award and the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film '' Happy-Go-Lucky'' (2008). Early life and ...

as Soly Malinovsky, Vivien's uncle *

Tracy-Ann Oberman Tracy-Ann Oberman (born Tracy Anne Oberman; 25 August 1966) is an English actress, playwright and narrator. She is known for roles including Chrissie Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2004–2005, 2024) and Valerie Lewis or "Auntie Va ...

as his wife, Nancy Malinovsky * Danny Sykes as their son, Ronnie Malinovsky *

Samantha Spiro Samantha Spiro (born 20 June 1968) is an English actress and singer. She played Barbara Windsor in the stage play '' Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick'' and the television films '' Cor, Blimey!'' and '' Babs'', D.I. Vivien Friend in '' M.I.T.: ...

as Vivien's mother, Liza Epstein * Will Keen as Vivien's father, David Epstein *

Julia Krynke Julia Krynke (born 20 November 1979) is a multilingual Polish actress, voice over artist and trained classical musician based in London, UK. She has had minor supporting roles in the UK in TV series '' Spooks'', ''Holby City'' and '' The Street' ...

as Roza, a relative of the Epsteins *

Tamzin Outhwaite Tamzin Maria Outhwaite (; born 5 November 1970) is an English actress, presenter and narrator. From 1998-2002, and again from 2018-2019, she played the role of Mel Owen in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. She has also starred in a number of ...

as Barbara, who manages the hairdressing salon in Soho that Vivien works at * Gabriel Akuwudike as Barbara's son, Stevie *

Rita Tushingham Rita Tushingham (born 14 March 1942) is an English actress. She is known for her starring roles in films including '' A Taste of Honey'' (1961), '' The Leather Boys'' (1964), '' The Knack ...and How to Get It'' (1965), '' Doctor Zhivago'' (1965 ...

as Nettie Jones, Vivien's landlady *

Allan Corduner Allan Corduner (; born 2 April 1950) is a British actor. Born in Stockholm to a German mother and a Russo-Finnish father, Corduner grew up in a secular Jewish home in London. After earning a BA (Hons) in English and Drama at Bristol University ...

as Rabbi Lehrer * Nigel Betts as Mr Gary Burns * Hannah Traylen as Chrissy *

Danny Hatchard Danny-Boy Hatchard (born 26 July 1991) is a British actor from London, known for portraying the role of Lee Carter (EastEnders), Lee Carter in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Hatchard's other credits include Aaron in the 2014 film '' ...

as Lee * Hannah Onslow as Elise *

Stephen Hogan Stephen Hogan is an Irish actor and audiobook narrator. Biography Hogan was born in August 1965 and grew up in Dartry, Dublin, Ireland. He is the son of Brian Hogan, a prominent Dublin architect, and Marie née Lawton. His grandfather, Sars ...

as American Nazi leader

George Lincoln Rockwell George Lincoln Rockwell (March 9, 1918 – August 25, 1967) was an American neo-Nazi activist who founded the American Nazi Party (ANP) and became one of the most notorious white supremacists in the United States until his murder in 1967. His b ...

Production

The series was filmed in Ashton under Lyne,

Bolton Bolton ( , locally ) is a town in Greater Manchester in England. In the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is between Manchester, Blackburn, Wigan, Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury and Salford. It is surrounded by several towns and vill ...

and

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

and at Broughton Hall near

Skipton Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the River Aire and the Leeds ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

Episodes

Reception

Gillean Craig, for the ''

Church Times The ''Church Times'' is an independent Anglican weekly newspaper based in London and published in the United Kingdom on Fridays. History The ''Church Times'' was founded on 7 February 1863 by George Josiah Palmer, a printer. It fought for the ...

'', was unimpressed, saying: "The plot is paper-thin, and the pile-up of improbabilities is too great. This is a lost opportunity: the theme deserves a far more rigorous head as well as heart."

Lucy Mangan Lucy Mangan (born 1974) is a British journalist and author. She is a columnist, features writer and TV critic for ''The Guardian'' and an opinion writer for '' i'' news. Early life and education Mangan was born in 1974 and grew up in Catford, ...

, in a three-starred review for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', said: "The direction feels strangely stilted and the dialogue flimsy, the script never quite first-class. The parts set in the hairdresser’s where Vivien gets a job are almost cartoonish, and the relentless salt-of-the-earthiness of everyone born in the East End becomes quite grating. Still, even if you might wish it exhibited a bit more complexity and artistic refinement, it is a drama with resonance. It has the right story to tell – alas – in our current dark age. Carol Midgley, for ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', gave it four stars, saying "What makes Ridley Road a joy to watch is not only the stellar cast, but the storytelling... It is beautifully crafted, weaving in archive footage, making it look as if Vivien is actually in Sixties London." Reviewing ''Ridley Road'' for ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', Ed Cumming said: "By setting a made-up story within accurate historical context, Solemani gives herself plenty of freedom, and takes advantage of the licence. Ridley Road is an action thriller as well as a period piece, with chases, fights and romance to go with its political context... The contemporary parallels are so near to the surface that there’s no need to lay them on too thickly. Instead, Ridley Road shows that extremism needn’t arise out of extraordinary situations. It emerges from everyday life."

References

External links

Official website
*{{IMDb title, tt10948746 *Bloom, J
Ridley Road
at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

Anti-fascism in the United Kingdom British thriller television series Dalston 2021 British television series debuts 2021 British television series endings 2020s British drama television series 2020s British television miniseries BBC television dramas British English-language television shows Television series based on actual events Television series by Red Production Company Television shows set in London Television shows based on British novels Television series about neo-Nazism Television shows shot in Liverpool