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Russell T Davies has written a new drama for BBC

The writer has teamed up with RED Production Company, the same team that brought Queer as Folk to our screens

By Steve Brown

Russell T Davies has written a new BBC One drama.

The gay screenwriter – who is best known for the LGBT hit series Queer as Folk – is set to pen the new drama Years and Years, which follows the lives of a single family over 15 years in a Britain rocked by unstable political, economic and technological advances.

It follows the Lyons, a busy Manchester family. Daniel is getting married to Ralph, Stephen and Celeste worry about their children, Rosie is chasing a new fella and Edith hasn’t been home for years.

They are all presided over by Gran, the imperial Muriel but when their lives all converge on one crucial night in 2019, the story jumps into the future, following the lives and loves of the Lyons over the next 15 years.

Fingers crossed we get more scenes like this, right?

Years and Years marks the ninth collaboration for Davies and RED Production Company – who produced his hit LGBT series.

Davies said: “I’ve wanted to write this for 20 years or so. And as the world accelerates like crazy around us, I realised I’d better get on with it.

“It’s a joy to be back home with RED and an honour to be on BBC One.” 

Nicola Shindler, founder and executive producer of RED Production Company, said: “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Russell again, and Years and Years is an incredibly exciting story to bring to the screen.

“The script is fantastic, and taps into the anxieties of the climate we are currently living in, speculating how the dynamics of cultural and political change affects our lives – and the lives of our families.

“What Russell does so expertly is navigate a potentially dark and fearful story into a compelling drama that is full of wit, warmth and hope, with family at the heart of the show. I can’t wait to get started.”