| Director | Philippa Lowthorpe |
|---|---|
| Box office | $2 million |
Sally Alexander successfully applies to study history at University College London. At a conference on women's rights she meets Jo Robinson, a feminist activist. After helping Jo evade arrest for defacing a sexist billboard advertisement, Jo introduces Sally to her women's group where she is invited to collaborate on the group's messaging and media as part of a planned protest at the 1970 Miss World competition, which is due to take place in London. American comedian Bob Hope is hired to present the event over the objections of Hope's wife Dolores, who is angered by Hope's affair with the winner of the 1961 edition.
The Miss World contestants arrive in the city. Among them are Pearl Jansen (Miss "Africa South"), who the organizers have included to deflect criticisms of collaboration with the Apartheid regime, and Jennifer Hosten (Miss Grenada). Jennifer and Pearl bond over their shared experience of anti-black racism. Jennifer also befriends Marjorie Johansson (Miss Sweden), the favourite, who confesses to feeling demeaned and exploited by the competition. Frustrated by the casual sexism she experiences at university, Sally hatches a plan to disrupt the live television broadcast of the Miss World contest by infiltrating the crowd. Several members of the group volunteer and buy audience tickets. Pearl privately confesses to Jennifer that the regime warned her that if she spoke out about the treatment of black South Africans she wouldn't be allowed to return home. Sally and her mother argue about Sally's activism and the toll her mother believes it's taking on Sally's daughter and her relationship with her partner Gareth.
A car bomb, attributed to the anarchist Angry Brigade, explodes outside the theatre hosting the event. Despite Gareth's pleas for Sally to call off the protest, she and Jo resolve to proceed. The competition begins, with the contestants, audience, organizers and Hope having to cross a picket line of protestors. Hope introduces the event with a series of sexist jokes. The judging panel whittles the number of contestants down to a final seven, among them Pearl and Jennifer. Jo and Sally's group start the protest by heckling Hope and flour-bombing the stage. Jo and Sally are arrested. The broadcast is temporarily halted but resumes shortly afterwards. Pearl wins second place before it is announced that Jennifer is Miss World - the first woman of colour to win. Backstage she has a conversation with Sally, who is being taken away by police, where they disagree over the protest.
A post-script explains that Jennifer went on to study Political Science and International Relations, later becoming Grenada's High Commissioner to Canada. Sally became Professor of Modern History at the University of London. Jo gave birth five months after the competition and later trained as a midwife. Pearl returned home to South Africa and became a singer after the fall of Apartheid. The protest succeeded in widely-publicising the women's liberation movement. The film finally notes that "Attempts to bring down the patriarchy remain ongoing."