When is Years and Years on TV? Who's in the cast? What's it about?
Emma Thompson leads the drama as an outspoken celebrity-turned populist politician
Years and Years, the new Russell T Davies drama which follows a tumultuous 15 years in Britain through the eyes of one family, is set to air on BBC1 in 2019.
Though Davies says he has wanted to write the series for the last 20 years, it seems extremely relevant today, tracking the rise of an outspoken celebrity-turned populist politician, played by Emma Thompson, and how changes in society affect an ordinary family called the Lyons.
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Find out everything you need to know about Years and Years below.
When is Years and Years set to air on BBC1?
The BBC has confirmed that Years and Years will begin airing on Tuesday 14th May at 9pm on BBC1. The six-part series will air weekly.
What is Years and Years about?
The six-part drama takes a look at a fictionalised version of current affairs through the eyes of the Lyons family in Manchester over the course of a 15-year period.
According to the BBC: “Everything we fear, and everything we hope for, is happening around this tight-knit family. Society is hotter, faster, madder, with the turmoil of politics, technology and distant wars affecting the Lyons in their day-to-day lives. Britain withdraws from Europe, America becomes a lone wolf, China asserts itself, and a new world begins to form.”
The biggest danger to their well-being, however, is possibly Emma Thompson's Vivienne Rook (Thompson), a Trumpian MP described as a "an entertainer, a rebel, a trickster and a terror", who is currying favour with an increasingly disenfranchised populus.
"It’s a family saga, about an ordinary Manchester family," Davies told RadioTimes.com.
"Because family sagas often travel through time, like through World War Two, or through the 20s, this one goes into the future.
"It starts in 2019 and goes forward 15 years. So you see where we’re heading. History and society seems to be mad at the moment, it seems to be quite a fevered time. So it’s trying to capture that, it’s trying to guess where we’re going."
He added: "It’s got a lot to say about the world, but it’s also a family saga, I need to keep saying that. It’s not a great big political diatribe.
"You will love these brothers and sisters, and their grandmother, Anne Reid’s the grandmother to them all. You’ll hope for them, you’ll care for them, you’ll cry for them, you’ll laugh. I hope it works."
Who is in the cast?
Emma Thompson leads the way as Vivienne Rook, while Jessica Hynes, Rory Kinnear, Ruth Madeley, T’Nia Miller, Anne Reid and Russell Tovey star as the various members of the Lyons family. Check out a picture of them gathered round a computer, looking worried, below.
"It’s a great cast," Davies told us. "We’re very excited by it, fingers crossed."
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When is Years and Years set?
The series starts in 2019 but spools forward into the future, with the majority of episode one set in 2024. The rest of the series jumps up to 15 years into the future, reaching 2034 by its finale. Read more here.
Is there a trailer for Years and Years?
Yes – and it features plenty of futuristic technology and plenty of Emma Thompson's Mancunian accent.
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Years and Years will air on BBC1 in 2019
