The six-part series follows the British Manchester-based Lyons family: Daniel is married to Ralph, Stephen and Celeste worry about their kids, Rosie is looking for a new partner, and Edith is engaged in one humanitarian cause after another. 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 as Britain is rocked by unstable political, economic and technological advances.
Cast and characters
Main
Russell Tovey as Daniel Lyons, a housing officer based in Manchester and Rosie, Stephen and Edith's brother.
Rory Kinnear as Stephen Lyons, a financial advisor, who lives in London with his wife, Celeste, and their two daughters. He is also Edith, Daniel and Rosie's older brother.
T'Nia Miller as Celeste Bisme-Lyons, an accountant and Stephen's wife.
Ruth Madeley as Rosie Lyons, the youngest of the Lyons siblings, who has spina bifida. She is a single mother, has two sons, Lee and Lincoln, and works in a school cafeteria.
Anne Reid as Muriel Deacon, the Lyons siblings' grandmother.
Jessica Hynes as Edith Lyons, a political activist and Stephen, Daniel and Rosie's sister.
Emma Thompson as Vivienne Rook MP, a charismatic and controversial businesswoman turned politician.
Maxim Baldry as Viktor Goraya, a Ukrainian refugee, who develops a romantic relationship with Daniel.
Lydia West as Bethany Bisme-Lyons, Stephen and Celeste's older daughter.
Jade Alleyne as Ruby Bisme-Lyons, Stephen and Celeste's younger daughter.
Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Fran Baxter, a storyteller and activist who is Daniel's friend. She later becomes Edith's partner.
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. Filming began in Manchester on 22 October 2018 and was completed on 17 March 2019. Locations included Trafford Park for the refugee camp and Altcar Training Camp, Liverpool for the "Erstwhile" site.
Episodes
Broadcast
The series was broadcast on BBC One in the UK, BBC First in The Netherlands and Belgium, HBO in the US, Mexico, Latin America, Poland and Spain, SBS in Australia, Soho in New Zealand, and Canal+ in France. In 2020 the series aired on M-Net in South Africa.
Reception
Critical reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 89% based on 54 critics' reviews and of 90% on 51 audience reviews. 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 humour and characters who are easy to become invested in." On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 77 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
