ladbible homepage
ladbible homepage
  • Home
  • News
    • UK
    • US
    • World
    • Ireland
    • Australia
    • Science
    • Crime
    • Weather
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV
    • Film
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • Netflix
    • Disney
  • Sport
  • Technology
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Money
  • Originals
    • FFS PRODUCTIONS
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Citizen Reef
  • Videos
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content Here
  • GAMINGbible
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • Tyla
  • FOODbible
  • UNILAD Tech
First look images show Sean Bean as Liverpool gangster in epic new BBC crime drama
Home>Entertainment>TV
Updated 10:08 28 Jan 2025 GMTPublished 10:01 28 Jan 2025 GMT

First look images show Sean Bean as Liverpool gangster in epic new BBC crime drama

LADbible can exclusively reveal the first look at BBC's This City Is Ours

Michael Slavin

Michael Slavin

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover

First look images reveal Sean Bean transforming into a Liverpool gangster for a new BBC crime drama.

The images, exclusively released to LADbible by the BBC, see Bean alongside a star-studded cast including James Nelson Joyce, Hannah Onslow, Julie Graham and Gavin and Stacey star Laura Aikman.

Sean Bean as Ronnie Phelan and Julie Graham as Elaine Phelan (Jamie Stack via BBC)
Sean Bean as Ronnie Phelan and Julie Graham as Elaine Phelan (Jamie Stack via BBC)

The prestige doesn’t stop there, as Stephen Butchard, the writer behind beloved drama The Last Kingdom, penned the script.

Advert

The show is called This City Is Ours, and is a crime drama following Bean as gang leader Ronnie Phelan.

Nelson-Joyce stars alongside him as Michael Kavanagh, Ronnie’s best friend and fellow gang member.

James Joyce stars alongside Bean as Michael Kavanagh (Jamie Stack via BBC)
James Joyce stars alongside Bean as Michael Kavanagh (Jamie Stack via BBC)

The BBC show is set and filmed in Liverpool, with additional filming being done in Spain, and will centre around Ronnie hinting towards retirement.

When he does this, Michael starts considering whether or not a better life is possible for him.

This is because, for the first time, he has fallen in love with a woman called Diana Williams, played by Hannah Onslow.

Hannah Onslow as Diane Williams alongside Nelson Joyce as Kavanagh (Jamie Stack via BBC)
Hannah Onslow as Diane Williams alongside Nelson Joyce as Kavanagh (Jamie Stack via BBC)

Added to this complex web of relationships is Ronnie's son Jamie, played by Jack McMullen.

Jamie has picked up on Ronnie’s hints of retirement and wants to inherit the business for himself.

This, he decides, means Michael has to go.

Michael has been importing cocaine into Liverpool alongside Ronnie for years now and, when a shipment goes missing, he realises their operation is under attack.

Jack McMullen plays Ronnie Phelan's son Jamie (Jamie Stack via BBC)
Jack McMullen plays Ronnie Phelan's son Jamie (Jamie Stack via BBC)

When will This City Is Ours be released?

An exact release date has not yet been set, however the BBC has confirmed it will release in the spring on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK, with Sony dealing with the international distribution for the show.

Filling out the main cast is Julie Graham, who plays Elaine, head of the Phelan crime family alongside her husband Ronnie.

Aikman also stars as Rachel Duffy hot off the heels of her scene-stealing performance in the Gavin and Stacey finale as Sonia.

Aikman returned to the role this Christmas after five years, and had to hide that fact even from her family.

Laura Aikman as Rachel Duffy alongside Kevin Harvey as Bobby Duffy (Jamie Stack via BBC)
Laura Aikman as Rachel Duffy alongside Kevin Harvey as Bobby Duffy (Jamie Stack via BBC)

The show is an epic crime eight-part crime drama that fans will be raring to watch after seeing the first look photos.

Director of BBC Drama boss previously said when filming began for the series: “It’s a joy to see cameras rolling on This City is Ours with a glorious cast who have made Stephen Butchard’s sublime scripts even more exciting.”

In addition to The Last Kingdom, the competitor for Vikings that many felt filled the void after the end of Game of Thrones, Butchard has written several other acclaimed series including The Good Mothers, Five Daughters and Bagdhad Central.

This City is Ours is coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer in spring of 2025 in the UK.

Featured Image Credit: Jamie Stack via BBC

Topics: Sean Bean, BBC, Gavin And Stacey, TV and Film, TV

Michael Slavin
Michael Slavin

Michael Slavin is LADbible's dedicated specialist Film and TV writer. Following his completion of a Masters in International Journalism at Salford University, he began working for the Warrington Guardian as a reporter. Throughout this he did freelance work about Entertainment for publications such as DiscussingFilm, where he was the Film and TV editor. Now, he is LAD's go to voice on all things Netflix, True Crime, and UK TV, as well as interviewing huge global stars such as Jake Gyllenhaal, Daisy Ridley, and Ben Stiller.

X

@michaelslavin98

Recommended reads

Major change is being made for millions of unmarried couples living together(Getty Stock)Mum dies after ‘ingrown hair’ turned into flesh-eating bugKennedy News and MediaSpider-Man’s Joe Manganiello had mystery seven-year illness that resulted in 'amputation'Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images500,000 Brits earning over £6,240 are missing out on free money from their employer(Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Advert

  • Netflix has eight-part series that can be watched in any order and it will affect how you view the story
  • First look at Gavin and Stacey Christmas special gives hint over huge mystery
  • Gavin and Stacey finally shares first ever look at infamous ‘fishing trip’ in ‘never-before-seen clip’
  • The Traitors super fan debunks the four biggest conspiracy theories around the BBC show

Choose your content:

an hour ago
12 hours ago
14 hours ago
15 hours ago
  • Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
    an hour ago

    Spider-Man’s Joe Manganiello had mystery seven-year illness that resulted in 'amputation'

    He's releasing a memoir where he talks about his years-long illness

    Entertainment
  • Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
    12 hours ago

    Steve-O reveals the 'comical' amount he earned from season one of Jackass

    Steve-O has revealed exactly how much he earned from the first season of Jackass, and it's far less than you might expect

    Entertainment
  • (CBS)
    14 hours ago

    Eerie mobile phone footage from Elvis' 1970s concert sparks 'time traveller' theories

    Footage of a woman holding a 'mobile phone' at the 1977 performance is currently going viral online

    Entertainment
  • (20th Century Fox)
    15 hours ago

    Matt Damon ‘went too far’ losing 50lbs in 100 days for movie role that had extreme health consequences

    The Martian actor became so frail that he needed medical supervision

    Entertainment