A PROGRAMME following the eventful life of a famous Newportonian suffragette will debut tonight.

As this year marks 100 years since the The Representation of the People Act of 1918, Welsh National Opera (WNO) have celebrated with their production Rhondda Rips It Up!

The theatrical performance features an all-female cast, and stars Lesley Garrett as Emcee and Madeleine Shaw as Margaret Haig Thomas, also known as Lady Rhondda.

The production, which sold out when performed at Riverfront Theatre in Newport, will feature in the BBC documentary Rhondda Rebel which airs tonight.

Rhondda Rebel will feature journalist and broadcaster, Carolyn Hitt, embarking on a journey of Lady Rhondda’s exciting life and work.

Lady Rhondda, who lived in Newport, was the daughter of a wealthy Welsh industrialist, and she played a significant role in the feminist movement.

In 1913 she was sent to a prison in Usk, after attempting to blow up a post box on Risca Road, in Newport. Eventually she was released, after refusing to pay the fine and going on hunger strike.

Rhondda Rebel will explore the fascinating life of this feminist who stayed true to her beliefs, and founded her own publication, Time and Tide magazine.

The documentary will feature WNO's Rhondda Rips It Up! but is about Lady Rhondda herself, rather than the opera.

Rhondda Rebel will air on BBC One Wales, at 10.40pm, tonight.