BBC One's Ridley Road: The release date, plot and cast

BBC One has released the trailer and new images for its anticipated thriller Ridley Road, based on critically acclaimed novel by Jo Bloom.

The series, starring Rory Kinnear and Eddie Marsan, is 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. When Vivien Epstein (played by Agnes O'Casey) follows her lover into danger and he is caught between life and death, Vivien finds herself going undercover with the fascists, not only for him but for the sake of her country.

The drama has been written for the screen by Sarah Solemani, who undertook extensive research into the period. "Britain's relationship with fascism is closer and more alive than we like to think," Solemani said in a statement.

"Luckily, so is our rich heritage of fighting it. Jo Bloom's gripping book revealed a darker side of sixties London and the staggering contribution the Jewish community made in the battle against racism. I am thrilled to be working with RED and the BBC to bring this little-known slice of British history to the screen."

Here's everything else we know about the period drama so far...

The plot

Ridley Road follows the fight of Jewish British people in a post-world war II London against rising Neo-Nazism. Set in the summer of 1962, it centres on twenty-year-old Vivien Epstein (Agnes O'Casey), a Jewish hairdresser from Manchester who arrives in London following the death of her father. After landing a job at Oscar's salon, she thrives amid the vibrant café culture of Soho and the warm camaraderie of the other hairdressers.

But she's hiding a secret: Vivien is desperate to find Jack Fox, a man she had a brief but intense romance with some months before. Her search leads to confront the dark resurgence of fascism, countered by the Jewish community in street battles around Ridley Road in the East End of London.

The cast of Ridley Road

Rising star Agnes O'Casey takes the lead as Vivien. Eddie Marsan stars as Soly Malinovsky, and former EastEnders actress Tracy Ann Oberman plays Nancy Malinovsky. Tamzin Outhwaite plays Barbara Watson, Rory Kinnear plays Colin Jordan and Gabriel Akuwudike plays Stevie.

The cast also includes Tom Varey, Samantha Spiro, Hannah Traylen and Danny Sykes.

The release date of Ridley Road

The BBC has yet to confirm the release date for the series, but as BBC Press Office recently tweeted that it's "coming soon", we can most likely expect it to arrive later this year.

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