The BBC has released first-look pictures of This City Is Ours, the brand-new crime drama from Stephen Butchard, directed by BAFTA award-winning Saul Dibb, who serves as Lead Director, John Hayes, and Eshref Reybrouck. Set and filmed in Liverpool, the eight-part series is made by Left Bank Pictures for BBC iPlayer and BBC One.
The new pictures give a first look at the This City Is Ours ensemble, including two-time BAFTA TV Award-winning actor Sean Bean (Time) as gang leader Ronnie Phelan, James Nelson-Joyce (Bird) as Ronnie’s friend, Michael Kavanagh, Hannah Onslow (Empire of Light) as Diana Williams, Michael’s partner, Jack McMullen (Hijack) as Ronnie’s son, Jamie Phelan, and Julie Graham (Shetland) as Elaine, head of the Phelan family alongside her husband Ronnie.
Set and filmed in Liverpool, with additional filming in Spain, This City is Ours is the story of Michael, a man who has been involved in organised crime all his adult life, working for his friend and the gang leader Ronnie. When Ronnie hints at retirement, Michael, too, begins to imagine another life. Because, for the first time in his life, Michael is in love. He now sees beyond the day-to-day; he sees a future: something to win and something to lose – Diana.
©Left Bank Pictures/BBC
This City is Ours is the story of Michael and Diana’s love affair, set against the disintegration of Michael’s crime gang. For years, together with Ronnie, Michael has successfully been bringing cocaine into the City and beyond directly from Columbia, but when a shipment goes missing, he knows their Kingdom is under attack.
This City is Ours explores what happens when Ronnie’s son Jamie decides he wants to inherit the kingdom and that there is no longer a place for Michael at the table. Both Michael and Jamie have bold ideas to modernise the gang and they will battle for control of it. But Michael’s biggest battle will be to save the woman he loves and the child he has always wanted.
This is a story about family and love destroyed and corrupted by ambition, pride and greed. It’s a story about power and what we will do to secure and keep it.
This City Is Ours also stars Laura Aikman (Gavin & Stacey) as Rachel Duffy, Kevin Harvey (Time) as Bobby Duffy, Saoirse-Monica Jackson (Derry Girls) as Cheryl Crawford, Mike Noble (Shardlake) as Banksey, Bobby Schofield (SAS Rogue Heroes) as Bonehead, Darci Shaw (Judy) as Melissa Sullivan, and Stephen Walters (Slow Horses) as Davy Crawford.
This City Is Ours will premiere on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK in the Spring. Sony Pictures Television will distribute the series internationally.
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