THIS CITY IS OURS - Sun 9pm bbc 1 - TV PACE NO SPOILERS

[Blondeshavemorefun]

This City Is Ours stars Sean Bean, Julie Graham and Jack McMullen and follows the big troubles of a Liverpool crime family.

the eight-part series follows Michael, a drug-trafficker who reconsiders his life after falling in love.

Sean Bean (Game of Thrones) plays Michael's boss, gang leader Ronnie Phelan, who begins eyeing retirement just as a rival organisation prepares to attack.

Michael (James Nelson-Joyce) dreams of following his boss and leaving his life of crime behind, but faces opposition from Ronnie's ruthless son Jamie (Jack McMullen), who doesn't want to share his father's criminal empire.

This City is Ours is the story of Michael, a man who for all of his adult life has been involved in organised crime... but for the first time in his life, Michael is in love. For the first time in his life, he sees beyond the day-to-day, he sees a future: something to win and something to lose — Diana. "The eight-part series tells the story of Michael and Diana's love affair, set against the disintegration of Michael’s crime gang.

For years, together with his friend Ronnie, Michael has successfully been bringing cocaine into the City and beyond, directly from Columbia; but when a shipment goes missing, then he knows their Kingdom is under attack.

"The drama explores what happens when Ronnie’s son Jamie decides he wants to inherit their 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: what we will do to secure and keep it."

James Nelson-Joyce (The Family Pile) will lead the cast as Michael Kavanagh, while Jack McMullen (Hijack) plays his friend and Ronnie's son, Jamie.

It's not the first time to the two actors from Merseyside have appeared alongside each other and co-starred in Time (https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/a-quick-guide-to-sean-beans-new-prison-drama-time)
and
Little Boy Blue (https://www.whattowatch.com/news/i-was-so-nervous-about-meeting-rhyss-mum-says-little-boy-blue-star-465133)
.

Sean Bean, who plays gang boss Ronnie Phelan, also starred in Time (see below) and has also enjoyed a celebrated career on the big and small screen, including appearances in fantasy epics The Fellowship of the Ring and Game of Thrones. In recent years he's won an International Emmy for his role in Accused and BAFTAs for Time and Broken, both of which aired on BBC One.

Hannah Onslow (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, This Is Going To Hurt) will play Michael's girlfriend, Diana
This City Is Ours co-stars Julie Graham (Shetland) as Elaine, Ronnie's wife and family co-leader, Laura Aikman (Archie, Gavin & Stacey) as Rachel Duffy, Kevin Harvey (Treason, Time) as Bobby Duffy, Saoirse-Monica Jackson (Derry Girls, Upgraded) as Cheryl Crawford and Mike Noble (Shardlake, The Long Shadow (https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/the-long-shadow-release-date-cast-plot-and-everything-we-know)) as Banksey
Elsewhere, Bobby Schofield (SAS Rogue Heroes (https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/sas-rogue-heroes-season-3-everything-we-know)
, The Suspect
) plays Bonehead, Darci Shaw (
Judy,
A Thousand Blows (https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/a-thousand-blows-cast-plot-and-all-about-the-boxing-period-drama)
) plays Melissa Sullivan,and Stephen Walters (
Slow Horses, Anne
) plays Davy Crawford.

I loved this, it was tense and gripping. Bit distracted by Michael's sensible hooded raincoat but I'll forgive him anything.

They underestimated Cheryl didn't they. Quite like her, very steely but likeable.

Poor Jaamiiie and Bonehead, 2 calamities running round wirh weapons. Bet that's what it's like irl.

I liked Banksy's little smile when he rather brutally disposed of Ricardo, who you'd have thought would've had a bodyguard or at least looked before crossing the road.

It was a 10/10 for me. That roof top scene where anyone of them could've come a cropper .

@FreddoSwaggins I keep thinking that too - I would pronounce it "KA-vanagh" but the whole cast kept calling him "Ka-VAN-agh"

I was hoping Bonehead would end up dead, he's a nasty piece of work.

I don’t get why she told Jamie either

so Jamie now have the gun that was used to shot at him and the police have a matching bullet

i dont understand why she told jamie but i didnt understand why he killed him in the first place,

He killed him to be top dog

And maybe scared he would choose his son Jamie over him

where if it was Micheal and Jamie competing M wouid win

Yes that sensible rain coat did seem out of place. I especially noticed it when he was in the restaurant waiting on Richardo.

I think Michael killed Ronnie because the reason Ronnie killed Davy was so not to accept Janie was devious prick who'd go behind Ronnie's back. Ronnie was favouring the incompetent OCNB over sense of how to run business. Michael could be next if Jamie's crapness needed to be hidden.

I too think Michael killed Ronnie because he correctly identified weakness in him. He was proved right when Ronnie was exposed as a grass. Ronnie blamed Davy, because confronting his own son was too much to bear. A big flaw in his partner’s character. Michael though, loves unconditionally, for example, his love for Diana. He had let her down repeatedly, and knew he was on his final warning. So, when she told him to reveal that he’d killed Ronnie, he did. He wants out, a family, with the woman he loves. Sets it up perfectly for series 2.

A good series has you cheering on a bad guy, I was cheering on Michael from the first episode. Just like I cheered on Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders. Only really good actors can get you on side.

Great cast, pissed off that Sean Bean died early, one of my favourite actors ever.
Can’t wait for series 2.
Now, everyone, “Number 54, there’s a house with a bamboo door…”

I agree with a pp, there wasn't a single person I liked and I'm impervious to Michael's charms.

I’m here for Banksy’s cat in series 2.
Banksy turned out to be the most loyal one of them all, although I don’t condone him turning the foreign dealer into Flat Eric.

And maybe he thought Davy was the theirs with the drugs and not Jamie

that was a fantastic end!

@FreddoSwaggins It is an Irish surname we pronounce it KAV-an-Ah, I didn't realise it was the surname Kavanagh until I saw it in subtitles never heard their pronunciation before

Just catching up with last episode. Great last episode and Michael always a step ahead of Jaimie, the baby bit made me very uncomfortable though so was a bit stressed until I knew he was safe. I was sure Michael would get shot by Elaine as a final twist and kept shouting for them to get into car quick, Diane knew they had a gun so not sure why she didn't rush Michael into car. Love Banksy character loyal and protective of those he loves. Jaime is a complete liability so I wonder whether season 2 will be his family trying to get shot of him.

I can’t wait for s2. Really enjoyed this