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The BBC’s This City Is Ours Creator Talks Series Two
For Every Action There Is A Reaction
The BBC’s This City Is Ours, its acclaimed gangster series, returns for a second series soon and here’s the show’s writer and creator Stephen Buchard on the new run…
Can you set the scene for the start of series two?
At the end of Series One, Michael (James Nelson-Joyce) and Diana (Hannah Onslow) set off for a new life in Happy Town. Michael decided to walk away from the business, leaving Banksey (Mike Noble) and Duffy (Kevin Harvery) as custodians and leaders of the Phelan firm.
Naturally, Elaine (Julie Graham), Jamie (Jack McMullen) and, to an extent, Rachel (Laura Aikman), weren’t happy – especially with Duffy and Banksey’s apparent lack of ambition. Elaine and Jamie know that it was Michael who killed Ronnie (Sean Bean), and in the very last beat of series one, Banksey takes revenge on Ricardo by running him down with a car.
What are the key themes of series two?
A major theme this series is consequences – for every action, there is a reaction – the problem is that some reactions are predictable, but most are not. An action can quite often be considered as a domino – it topples, but that is the beginning and not the end. Again, we explore the delicious human emotions and truth of love, desire, greed, fear, anger, betrayal and the need for status and power.
Was there a greater sense of pressure writing the second series after the first series became a hit with viewers?
Going into series two, I knew that people had enjoyed spending time with our characters as much as I did when writing them. That helps. My job is then to ensure the characters remain true to themselves – there’s no real pressure there because that’s how I approach all my work. The pressure comes in finding truthful events and plot – but I had wonderful jumping off points: Banksey killing Ricardo, Michael and Diana’s new life in Spain and the new hierarchy and internal politics of the Phelans. The pressure then does come in making sure that every moment in every episode matters.
Speaking of which, what did it feel like when series one became such a hit with both critics and the public?
The show being considered a hit was just fantastic. We knew we had all made something really good. We also knew that to an extent, the stars had aligned: we had the material, a brilliant crew who gave everything, a perfect cast – within days you couldn’t imagine anybody else playing those roles, and the city of Liverpool in all its glory. We hoped it would be well received – but I was really and absolutely blown away by the response. It’s a wonderful feeling.
I think it helps to know that viewers want to spend time with these characters and I’ve really enjoyed that people are very open about having their favourites!
Can you speak to Shaun Evans and Álvaro Morte joining the cast for series two?
Shaun and Álvaro are magnificent additions to our cast. They have really embraced Ozzie and Felipe and brought so much depth and range of emotion and truth to those characters.
One of the beauties of filming a series is that you can be filming one block of episodes whilst still working on the next block. Watching Shaun and Álvaro work, talking to them and listening to them, really helped me grow these newer characters whilst they were shooting, and they’re incredibly talented actors.
Here’s the second series trailer too
