BBC This City is Ours season two confirmed as Liverpool drama becomes most-watched

The eight-part first series, which launched in full on BBC iPlayer in March and concludes its weekly BBC One run tonight (May 11), has been praised by both critics and viewers alike and features a whole host of fantastic Scouse actors.

Created and written by Stephen Butchard, season one explored Ronnie Phelan (Sean Bean) and Michael Kavanagh’s (James Nelson-Joyce) cocaine trade and what happened when Ronnie’s son Jamie - played by Scouser Jack McMullen - decided he wanted to inherit their kingdom.

This City is Ours spent 17 weeks filming at locations across the Liverpool City Region, with many recognisable spots featuring, including the city centre, the Georgian Quarter, Edge Lane, the Wirral and more.

The series has become the BBC’s most watched new drama launch of the year so far, and almost 3 million people streamed the series finale ahead of its BBC One transmission on Sunday night.

James Nelson-Joyce’s performance as Michael Kavanagh has impressed many, with season one also starring Laura Aikman, Julie Graham, Kevin Harvey, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Mike Noble, Bobby Schofield, Darci Shaw, and Stephen Walters.

Speaking about the drama’s success, Stephen Butchard, This City is Ours creator, lead writer and executive producer said: “We have all been blown away by the incredibly positive response to This City is Ours, I can’t thank the audience enough for their time and emotional investment.

“My heartfelt thanks also to Lindsay Salt and her wonderful team at BBC Drama for their unflinching support and continued belief in the show, our story and our characters – and not least for this opportunity to do it all over again! See you soon!”

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama says: “This City is Ours was one of our team’s first commissions when I joined the BBC, and I could not be happier with how Stephen, Saul and the Left Bank team have brought it to the screen so classily.

“The response from viewers has been a joy to see, with millions discovering its thrilling, character-driven drama for themselves to become gripped by the raging war of the Phelans. I’m delighted that we now get to build on this fantastic first run and show that things are only just getting started for this very special series.”

This City is Ours series two will feature eight 60-minute episodes and will be produced by Left Bank Pictures for BBC iPlayer and BBC One. It was commissioned for the BBC by Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama and will again be written by Stephen Butchard.

Series one filming locations can be found here.

A potential release date has not yet been revealed but the BBC says more information will be released in due course.