Following the conclusion of Line Of Duty earlier this month, we’ve been in search of a new drama to sink our teeth into.
Luckily, we’ve not had to wait too long, as this week sees the arrival of Years And Years on BBC One.
And while it couldn’t be further from Jed Mercurio’s hit police series in its topics and themes, its definitely going to be one to watch over the coming weeks.
Here’s just seven reasons why we think you’re going to love it…
1. It’s a futuristic drama set against the backdrop of a normal Manchester family
You know how dramas set in the future can be all about flying cars and robots doing our jobs, this one takes a much more realistic look at what could lie ahead in British society.
Much of that is down to the fact it is rooted in regular family drama, focusing on the Manchester-based Lyons clan.
Not only does it explore their personal relationships and how they develop over time, but it examines how ever-changing technology and political unrest impacts them, imagining what is next for the country through their eyes.
Or as star Russell Tovey puts it: “You’re watching a domestic drama about a family in Manchester and it just happens to be set around what’s going on in the world.”
2. We’re not exaggerating when we say its an all-star cast
The BBC really were not messing around when it came to getting names on board for this project.
Actual Emma Thompson leads the cast as businesswoman and entrepreneur Viv Rook who begins a rise to power when she stands for Parliament and forms her own party.
Emma is joined by Anne Reid (Dinnerladies, Last Tango In Halifax), Rory Kinnear (Skyfall, Spectre, Black Mirror), Jessica Hynes (Spaced, W1A), Russell Tovey (Being Human, Him & Her) and T’Nia Miller (Doctor Who, Witless).
Told you it was a good bunch.
3. It was penned by Russell T. Davies, so you know it’s good
Whenever Russell T. Davies’ name is attached to something, you know it’s of quality, given his previous credits include Queer As Folk, Bob And Rose, Casanova, Cucumber and of course the 2005 Doctor Who reboot.
And his latest drama has actually been 10 years in the making, as it is based on an idea he’s had “boiling away in his mind for a long time”.
He says: “Over the past few years the world itself seems to have been boiling faster and hotter and wilder than ever. I mean, the age, today, just seems fevered – we’re either more political, or more scornful of politics, than ever. And I think, in the past, politics meant the economy to most people, but now we’re seeing that it’s our identity at stake.
“So I had to write this fast, before someone else did! And we’re transmitting it as fast as we can before the stuff in the script actually happens!”
4. Its themes are more than a little familiar to us all
As Russell hinted at just there, Years And Years sees the characters having to navigate a world made unstable by politics, the economy and technological advances – sound familiar?
As we join the characters, the UK has just withdrawn from the EU, Trump has just been voted in for a second term and Russia has invaded Ukraine, and we see how these events affect the Lyons family as the implications unfold.
Teasing what to expect, Emma Thompson says: “The writing is absolutely wonderful, extraordinarily brilliant and chilling. The tension of it ratchets up slowly and then suddenly these terrible things start to happen and you can see how everybody got there and how difficult it is to stop once the genie’s been let out.”
She adds: “I hope it will really provoke debate because it’s a discussion that we need now.”
5. The story is told in an unusual time scale
Years And Years takes an ordinary family – the Lyons – and catapults them through 15 whole years, with each episode propelling us a year or two forwards.
The format allows us to see how the family fall in and out of love and grow old, fall apart and come back together, as the political and social world around them changes dramatically.
Think of it as Love Actually meets Boyhood, with a lot of Black Mirror thrown in.
6. Despite the topic matter, there’s a lot of joy
While the premise of the show almost feels a bit dystopian, the cast insist the backdrop of family relationships means that it is full of hope and joy – although that’s not to say they won’t be put through hardships.
Emma explains: “There’s always hope, because it’s a story about human beings, and so whenever we go into a dark era we know that the only way is to get better and it will get better.”
Jessica Hynes, who plays Edith Lyons adds: “You’re never going to know what’s going to happen, there’s so much that is unconventional about the plot and storyline.
“I hope they like the detail, excitement, uniqueness and bravery of it all. I hope they are uplifted by it and they just embrace it as a gripping, moving TV drama.
“Love brings about hope. Anything that focuses the mind on the love that we have for one another and what binds us, what brings us closer. That always brings hope and I think this series really does try to do that.”
7. It’s going to make us think a lot about society
From depictions of artificial intelligence, the effect of the refugee crisis and the rise of populist politics, to conversations around gender identity and the exploration of transhumanism (which is the theory that the human race can evolve beyond its current physical and mental limitations), this is a drama with a lot to say for itself.
As a result, it will really make you think about where society could be heading in the next decade or so.
Years And Years begins on Tuesday May 13 at 9pm on BBC One.
