Television may now reflect a world in turmoil, but on-screen representation has never been more honest, diverse or compelling. From menopausal punks to trans pub daughters, modern drama finally mirrors the messy, multifaceted reality of British life — and that’s exactly why it works says Rebecca McQuillan

There’s not that much about the divided poverty-scarred overheating world of the 2020s that feels solidly better than the 1990s, but the version of ourselves we see on screen is a big improvement.

Reform MP Sarah Pochin’s racist attack on black and Asian actors in TV adverts earlier this week suggests she’d like to go back to that time, not so long ago, when minorities of all kinds were invisible or confined to fleeting appearances and tv was embarrassingly white.

Thankfully it’s not up to her. The way stories are told on telly has changed dramatically in 30 years, for the better. That’s partly due to the better representation of minority groups and people whose stories used to be overlooked, but it’s also the greater appetite programme-makers have to explore the complexity of characters. Today’s telly is more accurate, authentic and honest than ever before, and that makes it 10 times more interesting.

Menopausal women have been one of the winners in this change, and are the subject of Riot Women, currently airing on BBC One. The latest drama by Sally Wainwright (Happy Valley, Last Tango in Halifax, Gentleman Jack) follows a group of fifty- and sixty-somethings starting a punk band.

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The premise might sound a little hackneyed, but this is Sally Wainwright: the real meat of the story is........

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