麻豆社

What attracted you to this role?
To work with Russell T Davies. I love the way he writes dialogue and the fact the emotion can be flipped on its head; you’re crying and then suddenly laughing again. I loved the concept, it confused me to begin with but I thought that was a good thing, to not be completely clear but knowing all the while that you trust the person who’s creating it.

Introduce us to your character and your role within the story?
Daniel starts off in the drama in his early 30s. He is a decent man, he’s gay, married, his brother is his best friend. He works in housing for people who have left prison, as well as refugees and immigrants. He is a very good man but slightly bored with life and not realising, until he meets Viktor, how bored he is and how suddenly life becomes more exciting.

Early on we see Daniel and Ralph’s relationship deteriorate, why do you think this is?
I don’t think he really had a life himself. He went to work, came home, booked a holiday when he could but that was his lot - and then someone else came into his life and it was exciting.

Tell us about the instant attraction between Daniel and Viktor?
Viktor is from Ukraine and he’s a beautiful looking man with good hair and a cheeky twinkle in his eye. He seems a bit mischievous but cute and he needs to be saved. What he’s been through and where he’s come from has been rough - I think Daniel suddenly feels like he wants to protect him, look after him and make love to him all in the same combination.

How do you feel about the world that Russell T Davies has depicted in this series?
It’s terrifying but it’s our world, it doesn’t feel that far beyond where we are now. Our generation have had a lucky time where we haven’t really had anything that’s affected us too much, but now this world that Russell has written about we’ve seen it all go awry. The world is changing around us daily.

There are some really funny and touching scenes, did you have a favourite scene to shoot?
I liked being with the family and I loved those scenes where you can immerse yourself in the dynamic with everyone. The cast were really connected and we really loved each other - I’ve been very blessed with some of the stuff I’ve been given to do.

How do you think the audience will feel about Daniel and the Lyons family in general?
I hope they project their own family dynamics onto them and that they care about them. 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 - you just hope the audience connect with all of them and want to hang out with them.

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