Film Reviews & Movie Analysis

Created and Written by Russel T. Davies

Broadcast: BBC One
Concluded: 18/06/2019
Synopsis: The Lyons family ride the ups and downs of the future and all it throws at them.
Cast: Rory Kinnear, T’Nia Miller, Russell Tovey, Jessica Hynes, Ruth Madeley, Anne Reid
Episodes: Six

The Lyons family consist of siblings Stephen (Rory Kinnear), Edith (Jessica Hynes), Danny (Russell Tovey), Rosie (Ruth Madeley) and the family matriarch, grandmother Muriel (Anne Reid). Set predominantly in Manchester, each member of the family goes through their own highs and hardships as they to a new world they help shape.

It’s 2019 and the world is changing. The changes start small, but the events snowball until before you know it a decade goes by in the blink of an eye.

I’m trying incredibly hard not to turn this review into a passion piece about how much I bloody loved this series.

But I freaking loved this series.

Much like my love of the series Brother & Sisters, I love a show that is simply about a close group of people and their lives. That sounds extraordinarily boring to some people but it’s all about the out of the blue and unexpected bumps that rise up to shake the world of these ordinary people, that could very well be you and I.

Years and Years was like watching all the best and worst parts of a possible future. It held a mirror up at how we were handling our current issues; politics, international relations, refugees, technology, information, and showed us how realistically these problems could spiral to a cataclysmic level if we’re not careful.

Set over the course of ten years plus, Years and Years did a fantastic job of developing each and every one of their characters, from the more obvious changes within the older members of the Lyons family to the subtle ones of their children; the next generation children. It’s surprisingly emotional and makes you sit up and pay attention to the world around you.

The UK has a very tiny pool of actors and we’ve become accustomed to seeing the same supposedly ‘top tier’ ones which I often find irritating. That being said, though I recognised a number of the actors throughout the series, I found the cast line up incredibly refreshing.

I happened to be in the production office of where the series was being made before it aired and basically wish I had been there after it premiered so I could tell everyone what a gem they had created. Though they probably already know.

As I haven’t seen any of Netflix’s Black Mirror I can’t make too solid a comparison (I’ve seen it mentioned in conjunction to Years and Years online), and though set in the UK I think it’s globally relatable.

Basically, if you like visual speculations of what the world of tomorrow may have in store, enjoy well-written dialogue and the development of multiple characters juggled well – then why aren’t you already watching Years and Years?

Trailer Below…