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.

Just watched episode 1. Really enjoyed it, I’m in. I didn’t think it was slow at all. It was clearly building - establishing the characters, the hierarchy and the tensions in both the ‘business’ and the relationships.

It’s a world I (happily) know nothing about other than from TV, but am well aware that it is likely all around me. And for all I know, friends and family are embroiled.

Sean Bean is famous for sticking to his own accent isn’t he? Think he said he was “Sheffield steel” at one point, possibly just to make it clear that he wasn’t just rubbish at doing Scouse.

This seems incredibly well cast. And beautifully shot. Struggling to not binge!

Oh and, I really liked the slowed down, atmospheric version of The Kinks song Well Respected Man. Lovely stuff.

Sean Bean is famous for sticking to his own accent isn’t he? Think he said he was “Sheffield steel” at one point, possibly just to make it clear that he wasn’t just rubbish at doing Scouse.

I think he managed a cockernee accent for Essex Boys, although he apparently couldn't for his role in Sharpe who was from the Essex Rifles 🤔

Yeah, he's one of those actors where you'd think 'come off it' if he wasn't being Sean Bean From Sheff.

He tried to do posh in Shardlake and it didn't work.

Scottish and Irish and seems Liverpudlian all sound the same to ne

i like the lilt if that’s the right word

they sounded like in snatch

Julie Graham on the other hand does like to mangle a variety.

Really enjoyed the first episode loved Kin and Blue Lights so this is definitely my type of thing.

What was going on with the whole family dancing at christening, thought it was brilliant and very well coordinated 😊

Oh yes the dance was fab

Line dancing is popular with the Celtic fringe. I was taught it in PE lessons at school in Glasgow. Maybe Liverpudlian mobsters learn it too.

And the Irish @Piggywaspushed 😂🙀

Well, yes, obviously!

😂😂😂😂😂

I did like the singer performing Mack the Knife, good old Kurt Weill song that.
And I agree with a PP, the BBC are probably not allowed to show clothes with obvious logos because that would be advertising.

Binged. All good, recommend. But nearly all the men are dark and have bloody beards so that adds an extra layer of concentration.

I enjoyed first episode but why didn't they use more Liverpool actresses? There's plenty of great ones. I'm from those parts and the accents grate. Most of the men seem to be actual Scousers, apart from Sean Bean obviously.

I do get the point that the BBC can’t promote logos but Michael has a few pieces that show a Boss logo.
Thats just me nit-picking I am terrible for it!
Just finished the last episode.
It was Banksey and his cat I was rooting for in the end, in his own way, had his own sense of loyalty.
Bonehead frightened the life out of me. His real-life dad has a small part in the show in a later episode.
I think the young actors really shine.

Have you seen G’Wed on ITVX? Lots of Liverpool talent on there, and Leanne Best is fantastic in it.
The only actress from outside the city who has convinced me was Faye McKeever in The Responder. She played a gangster’s moll and she was superb.
It must be hard taking on another accent because it’s something that is acquired over a lifetime.
Do people from Essex think Alison Steadman gets her accent spot-on? To an outsider like me she sounds great, but that’s the point.
Do the Brummies in Peaky Blinders sound true, or do any of them get it wrong?
I would love to know.

I binge watched the lot because I apparently have no self control...

Not a spoiler but I did spot a Lacoste tracksuit at one point (staple 2000s Liverpool attire).

I don't understand why they can't use genuine Scouse actresses? Are there really none they could find? The female accents were shockingly bad! (Apart from Elaine, there was only one slip up when she sounded Scottish!)

I don't usually like these kind of dramas but I binged all of it yesterday (yes, I know this thread is TV pace), but just here to say I thought it was excellent. I hope there is a S2!

Cross posted, agree!

Not sure if I liked it as usually druggie dramas aren't my thing . But I'm intrigued to stick with it for a while .

Liverpool accent is heavily Irish influenced as so many Irish moved there during the famine

See I knew they sounded the same 😂

Ermmm, , well , yes... but Sean Bean is from Sheffield!!

I watched all this so won't add anything other than to say it got better after about episode 4. I thought it was really good but as a Scouser I found some of the accents on it not quite right so was a little bit distracting.