This City Is Ours
| This City Is Ours | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by | Stephen Butchard |
| Written by | Stephen Butchard Robbie O’Neill |
| Directed by | Saul Dibb John Hayes Eshref Reybrouck |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Rael Jones |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Simon Maloney |
| Production company | |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC One |
| Release | 23 March 2025 – present |
This City Is Ours is a 2025 BBC One crime drama television series, set in Liverpool, created by Stephen Butchard. It was produced by Left Bank Pictures and began broadcast on 23 March 2025.
Synopsis
[edit]The series centres on crime boss Ronnie Phelan, who's looking to retire, triggering a power struggle between his partner Michael Kavanagh, and his amibitious son Jamie.
Cast
[edit]- Sean Bean as Ronnie Phelan
- James Nelson-Joyce as Michael Kavanagh
- Hannah Onslow as Diana Williams
- Jack McMullen as Jamie Phelan
- Darci Shaw as Melissa Phelan
- Julie Graham as Elaine Phelan
- Laura Aikman as Rachel Duffy
- Saoirse-Monica Jackson as Cheryl Crawford
- Stephen Walters as Davey Crawford
- Mike Noble as Banksey
- Bobby Schofield as Bonehead
- Kevin Harvey as Bobby Duffy
Production
[edit]The eight-part series was commissioned in February 2024.[1] Andy Harries of Left Bank Pictures served as an executive producer, Butchard is lead writer and Robbie O’Neill is writing further episodes.[2] In May 2024, Sean Bean was confirmed in the lead role and the cast also includes James Nelson-Joyce, Hannah Onslow, Jack McMullen, Julie Graham, Laura Aikman, Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Darci Shaw.[3]
This City is Ours has filming locations including Liverpool and Spain with filming underway in May 2024.[4]
Episodes
[edit]| No. | Episode | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | UK viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | Saul Dibb | Stephen Butchard | 23 March 2025 | TBD |
| 2 | Episode 2 | Saul Dibb | Stephen Butchard | 30 March 2025 | TBD |
| 3 | Episode 3 | Saul Dibb | Stephen Butchard | 6 April 2025 | TBD |
| 4 | Episode 4 | John Hayes | Robbie O'Neill | 13 April 2025 | TBD |
| 5 | Episode 5 | John Hayes | Robbie O'Neill | 20 April 2025 | TBD |
| 6 | Episode 6 | John Hayes | Stephen Butchard | TBA | TBD |
| 7 | Episode 7 | Eshref Reybrouck | Stephen Butchard | TBA | TBD |
| 8 | Episode 8 | Eshref Reybrouck | Stephen Butchard | TBA | TBD |
Broadcast
[edit]This City Is Ours premiered on 23 March 2025 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.[5]
Reception
[edit]Anita Singh in The Daily Telegraph awarded the show five stars and praised the performances, especially Nelson-Joyce.[6] Carol Midgley in The Times awarded the show four stars and praised the "modern, witty and authentic" dialogue, as well as the on-screen chemistry between Nelson-Joyce and Sean Bean.[7] Lucy Mangan in The Guardian also praised the performances but awarded the show three stars, finding it rather "generic”.[8] Rachel Cooke for The New Statesman described it as "marvellous and witty" and compared it to a "superior Scouse Dallas".[9] Phil Harrison for The Independent gave the show four stars, commenting that the moral complexities and depth of the characters raised the drama from cliche.[10] Dan Einav in The Financial Times described it as "solid but unspectacular", noting that the "idiosyncrasies of Liverpudilian speech, clothing and humour are not simply background details — they are made integral to the identity" of the series.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ Goldbart, Max (21 February 2024). "BBC Unveils Mega 12-Show Drama Slate Featuring 'Dear England' Adaptation Starring Joseph Fiennes, Aimee Lou Wood's Debut Writing Project & Rebecca Hall-Led Series From Element". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ Chapman, Stephen (22 February 2024). "Epic Liverpool drama from The Crown producers". Prolific North. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ Goldbart, Max (28 May 2024). "Sean Bean To Play Gang Leader In BBC Drama Series 'This City Is Ours' From 'The Crown' Producer Left Bank". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ^ Craig, David (28 May 2024). "Sean Bean leads cast of The Last Kingdom writer's new crime drama". Radio Times. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ^ "Sean Bean fans 'blown away' by new BBC drama as it hits trending chart: "Edge-of-your-seat stuff"". Digital Spy. 24 March 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
- ^ Singh, Anita (23 March 2025). "This City Is Ours, review: superb crime thriller of betrayals and shifting loyalties". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
- ^ Midgley, Carol (23 March 2025). "This City Is Ours review: Sean Bean's Merseyside mob have shades of the Sopranos". The Times. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
- ^ Mangan, Lucy (23 March 2025). "This City Is Ours review – there is zero emotional depth to Sean Bean's new gang drama". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
- ^ Cooke, Rachel (23 March 2025). "This City is Ours: a highly superior Scouse Dallas". New Statesman. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
- ^ Harrison, Phil (23 March 2025). "A conflicted gangster and moral ambivalence elevate This City Is Ours above the average boilerplate crime drama". The Independent. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
- ^ Einav, Dan (19 March 2025). "This City is Ours BBC1 review — Liverpool is home to a very modern gangster story". The Financial Times. Retrieved 25 March 2025.