Erstwhile Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies recently rocked the Beeb with his Hugh Grant-starring adaptation, A Very English Scandal, and he’s wasted no time announcing his brand new project for them.
This new drama series, entitled Years And Years, is set to consist of six episodes, all flowing from the pen of Davies and eventually landing on BBC One. Revolving around the Lyons family and spanning 15 years, here’s a little taste of the plot, via TV Wise:
Years And Years follows the Lyons, a busy Manchester family. Daniel’s getting married to Ralph. Stephen and Celeste worry about their kids. Rosie’s chasing a new fella. Edith hasn’t been home for years. All presided over by Gran, the imperial Muriel. But when their lives all converge on one crucial night in 2019, the story accelerates into the future, following the lives and loves of the Lyons over the next 15 years.
Britain has withdrawn from Europe, America is isolationist, China is asserting itself, and a new world begins to form. But someone’s taking advantage, as MP Vivienne Rook begins her rise to power – that new breed of politician, an entertainer, a rebel, a trickster and a terror, leading us into an unknown future. Set against this, the Lyons have to navigate their everyday hopes and fears, knowing that one ordinary family could never change the world. Or could they?
This does sound very intriguing, and it should well do – Davies has been tinkering with the idea for over two decades.
“I’ve wanted to write this for 20 years or so,” he remarked in a statement. “And as the world accelerates like crazy around us, I realised I’d better get on with it.”
For Years And Years, Davies will once again be teaming up with Red Production Company, who previously worked with him on Queer As Folk. Founder Nicola Shindler had this to say of the new project:
“The script is fantastic, and taps into the anxieties of the climate we are currently living in, speculating how the dynamics of cultural and political change affects our lives – and the lives of our families.”
The new series should arrive sometime in 2019.
More as we get it.