麻豆社

Tell us about your character and your role within the story.
Stephen is the eldest brother of the four Lyons siblings - their mum has died and their father left them when they were quite young. He’s the big brother and has moved to London, so he’s separated geographically but he remains very close to all his siblings and his grandma. The two of them have a bit of an alliance and they feel slightly responsible for the younger ones.

What attracted you to the role when you read the scripts?
Stephen’s dramatic trajectory doesn’t get going until episode two. I knew Russell wasn’t going to set someone up as stable, loving and happy without changing that dynamic, so I was always interested to see where he was going to take it. Also, the way that it is written and the skill and deftness with which he handles not only a family’s life over a period of years, but also a global vision over the next ten to 15 years. It was genuinely one of the most exciting scripts that I’d read.

How do you think Stephen feels being the most conventionally ‘successful’ of the Lyons family?
He and his wife Celeste have been successfully, working in the financial world and living a very comfortable London life, which isn’t something he shares with all his siblings. They use it as leverage against him and he feels a little bit guilty in the fact that it’s taken him away from them all, but I don’t think he’s lost inherently who he is or where he’s come from. But as a result of that there’s a bit of tension within himself.

What is family life like for Stephen at the start of the series?
When we first meet him he’s happily taken the professional back seat because Celeste is more successful financially and they’ve made the decision that he would stay at home and look after the girls. They’ve been together a long time and fundamentally they are happy, if not without their everyday stresses that most people confront. He certainly thinks he has a very good relationship with his daughters. His eldest Bethany is a bit more removed from not only them, but also society in general, and as a result he has anxieties over her, but fundamentally when we meet them they’re quite a steady, loving unit.

How is Stephen’s relationship with his siblings?
He is closest in age with Edith, but they are the most fractious. They are the most similar in terms of their background and outlook, but Edith acted on it far more radically and Stephen towed the line at life. He’s very fond of his brother Daniel, they’re best mates. Rosie is the youngest and leads a slightly wilder life than Stephen understands.

Why do you think this story differs from other family sagas?
Russell’s vision is of an oncoming time that isn’t too distant and the depiction of it feels quite real. It’s not all flying cars, it’s a very tangible future and that sense of a family saga being played out against global politics and national politics feels utterly plausible, but is fictitious. When I first read it it reminded me of a cross between Our Friends In The North and Black Mirror. I know certainly Our Friends In The North was a jumping off point in Russell’s mind, but going forward rather than going back.

How do you think Stephen will surprise viewers?
There’s a set of twists and turns that Stephen and his whole family go through, and the way that Stephen behaves, the way he reacts to pressure, loss and a change in his circumstances reveals both a lot about him and about how people can make the wrong choices in times of pressure. Fundamentally, despite the wrong choices he makes at times, you hope that [the audience] can continue to understand and empathise with his situation.

How was it working with the other members of the cast and Russell T Davies?
Russell wrote The Second Coming, which was my first ever TV job filmed up in Manchester too, so I have worked with him before.
Filming this was very funny. One of our first scenes was set around Rosie’s dinner table, and it was just me, Ruth, Jessica and Russell Tovey - the four of us siblings - and I’ve never felt anything click so easily and instantly. We all naturally brought our own personalities to not only the characters, but to our roles within the family. I’ve never worked on something where I thought, oh crikey this has been cast so well, I’m not going to have to work at these relationships, they already exist!

Vivienne Rook (Emma Thompson)

Businesswoman and entrepreneur, Viv’s a familiar face on modern media, always ready with a quote. But when she stands for Parliament and forms her own party, she begins an inexorable rise to power. She’s adored for speaking her mind, but what are her actual policies? And how far will she go to achieve them?

Muriel Deacon (Anne Reid)

Muriel Deacon (Anne Reid). Sharp as a knife. Wise, but opinionated. Proud and independent and defying the passing of time. She doesn’t sleep much. Enjoys a whisky. Her house is large, rambling and dilapidated. Mother to the late and much-missed Jennifer, she’s a devoted (and critical) grandmother to her beloved Lyons clan.

Stephen (Rory Kinnear)

Stephen Lyons (Rory Kinnear). The eldest. Lives in London while the rest of the Lyons stayed in Manchester. A financial adviser, he worked at home to bring up the kids while his wife Celeste went out to work. He’s the peacemaker, a calm, smiling man. Though he can afford to be - he’s rich. What will he become when his world is rocked?

Edith Lyons (Jessica Hynes)

The second child, she’s tough, wry, earthy, a bit of a hippy as a teenager. Always knew where to get hold of some weed. As an adult she’s become a fearless campaigner and something of an anarchist, with skills her family would find dodgy. She’s been travelling the world, but shocking events bring her home for good.

Daniel Lyons (Russell Tovey)

A housing officer in Manchester. He’s friendly, diligent and hardworking. Loves his family. Has a strong social conscience, but finds that hard to maintain in an ever-changing world. Daniels is going out with Ralph, and they’re about to get married, but maybe Daniel said yes too soon...

Rosie Lyons (Ruth Madeley)

The youngest Lyons, spirited, sharp, born with spina bifida. Single mother to Lee and Lincoln, by two different dads. Works as a chef manager in a local comprehensive school. She’s great fun and binds the family together, but Rosie will never forgive her dad for walking out on the Lyons family when she was young.

Celeste Bisme-Lyons (T’Nia Miller)

Married to Stephen. Chief Accountant, smart, stylish. A marvellous snob. Exasperated by modern technology. But she’s a proud mum to two daughters, Bethany and Ruby, and they have a comfortable life in a nice house in Barnsbury. One day, that life will feel like a distant dream.

Ralph Cousins (Dino Fetscher)

Primary school teacher. Always on his phone. Ralph’s the fun one, Daniel’s his straight man. They’ve been together for 18 months, married two years later. The end comes quicker and more brutally than Ralph could ever have predicted, and he takes a terrible revenge.

Viktor Goraya (Maxim Baldry)

Ukrainian refugee. Tortured in Ukraine for information about his friends. Nevertheless, he’s a kind, smiling man, a great survivor of his hardships, always looking for the positive side. Full of strength and laughter, Viktor is a source of great joy to Daniel, and will become the love of his life.

Bethany Bisme-Lyons (Lydia West)

Bethany Bisme-Lyons (Lydia West). Daughter to Stephen and Celeste. A brilliant student, Bethany is shy, quiet, withdrawn. But her introspection hides her secret passion. She’s obsessed with transhumanism, the culture of integrating humans with technology. But her ambition is in danger of taking her too far.

Ruby Bisme-Lyons (Jade Alleyne)

Daughter to Stephen and Celeste. Ruby’s fun and great company, enjoying everything the 21st Century has to offer. She’s a bit spoilt, unaware that her world is about to come crashing down.

Lee Lyons (Noah Wride, Blake Woods, Callum Woolford and Adam Little)

Rosie’s first-born son, his dad now lives in Slough with a new family, though that doesn’t cause Lee any grief. He’s a nice, home-loving lad, but as the estate he lives on gets rougher, Lee finds himself going outside the law.

Lincoln Lyons (Jett Moises, Aaron Ansari & Aiden Li)

Rosie’s half-Chinese son. Lincoln is born in episode one. And as he grows up and watched the Lyons family changing around him, his story, over the next 15 years, is set to be the most radical and exciting of all.

Cast and Crew

Vivienne Rook - Emma Thompson
Muriel Deacon - Anne Reid
Stephen Lyons - Rory Kinnear
Daniel Lyons - Russell Tovey
Rosie Lyons - Ruth Madeley
Edith Lyons - Jessica Hynes
Celeste Bisme-Lyons T’Nia Miller
Bethany Bisme-Lyons Lydia West
Ruby Bisme-Lyons - Jade Alleyne
Lee - Callum Woolford
Lincoln - Jett Moises, Aaron Ansari and Aiden Li
Ralph Cousins - Dino Fetscher
Viktor Goraya - Maxim Baldry

Nicola Shindler - Executive Producer
Michaela Fereday - Executive Producer & Head of Production
Russell T Davies - Executive Producer, Creator & Writer
Karen Lewis - Producer
Simon Cellan Jones - Director, Executive Producer
Lisa Mulcahy - Director

KS

Related Programme Information

• Episode one
• Episode two