Years and Years

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***Years and Years*** is a British television drama series which began broadcasting on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 14 May 2019. The series was created and written by Russell T Davies, and stars Emma Thompson as Vivienne Rook, an outspoken celebrity turned political figure whose controversial opinions divide the nation. Joining her in the cast are Rory Kinnear, T'Nia Miller, Russell Tovey, Jessica Hynes, Ruth Madeley and Anne Reid.

## Plot

The focus of the six-part series is the Manchester-based Lyons family: Daniel is getting married to Ralph, Stephen and Celeste worry about their kids, Rosie is chasing a new guy, and Edith has not been home for years. Presiding over them all is Gran, the imperious Muriel. All their lives converge on one crucial night in 2019, and the story accelerates into the future, following the lives and loves of the Lyons over the next 15 years.

## Cast and characters

* Emma Thompson as Vivienne Rook MP, a charismatic and controversial politician.
* Rory Kinnear as Stephen Lyons, a financial advisor, who lives in London with his wife, Celeste and their two daughters, Bethany and Ruby. He is also Daniel, Edith and Rosie's older brother.
* T'Nia Miller as Celeste Bisme-Lyons, an opinionated accountant and Stephen's wife.
* Russell Tovey as Daniel Lyons, a gay housing officer based in Manchester and Rosie, Stephen and Edith's brother.
* Jessica Hynes as Edith Lyons, a political activist and Stephen, Daniel and Rosie's sister.
* Ruth Madeley as Rosie Lyons, the youngest of the Lyons siblings, who has spina bifida.
* Anne Reid as Muriel Deacon, the Lyons siblings' grandmother.
* Dino Fetscher as Ralph Cousins, Daniel's ex fiancé who is a primary school teacher.
* Lydia West as Bethany Bisme-Lyons, Stephen and Celeste's older daughter.
* Jade Alleyne as Ruby Bisme-Lyons, Stephen and Celeste's younger daughter.
* Maxim Baldry as Viktor Goraya, a Ukrainian refugee, who develops a romantic relationship with Daniel.

## Production

### Development

In June 2018, the BBC announced that Russell T Davies would write *Years and Years* which was described as "an epic drama following a family over 15 years of unstable political, economical and technological advances". Davies noted that he has been aiming to write the drama series for almost two decades.

In October 2018, it was announced that Emma Thompson had joined the cast as Vivienne Rook alongside Rory Kinnear, T'Nia Miller, Russell Tovey, Jessica Hynes, Lydia West, Ruth Madeley and Anne Reid. *Years and Years* was cast by Andy Prior. It was also announced that the series would be directed by Simon Cellan Jones.

The series began filming in Manchester in October 2018.

## Episodes

The series will be broadcast on BBC One in the UK, HBO in the US and Canal+ in France.
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## Reception

### Critical reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first series holds an approval rating of 82% based on 17 reviews, and an average rating of 7.45/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "*Years and Years* scathingly critiques the present with a nihilistic projection of the future, leavening the devastating satire with a buoyant sense of humor and characters who are easy to become invested in."

## External links

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