What Will Happen In This City Is Ours Series 2?

This just in: the BBC has renewed This City Is Ours for a second series, following the huge success of the first: it’s the BBC’s most-watched new drama of the year so far. Dubbed the ‘Scouse Sopranos‘, here’s everything we know about This City Is Ours series 2.

This City Is Ours Series 2: Plot, Cast, Release Date & More

Yesterday evening, the This City Is Ours finale aired on BBC One – but that isn’t the end of Michael (James Nelson-Joyce) and Diana’s (Hannah Onslow) story. Series 2 is officially in the works.

‘It feels like people are loving This City is Ours,’ lead star Nelson-Joyce told C&TH earlier this year. The Liverpool native hinted how he was ‘apprehensive’ about the drama’s reception, what with all of the ‘drugs and criminality’. ‘You always want to show where you’re from in the best light, especially when you love where you’re from,’ he says. ‘And I think we’ve managed to do that. I think the city is quite proud of it, if I’m honest.’

‘We have all been blown away by the incredibly positive response to This City is Ours,’ says series creator, lead writer and executive producer Stephen Butchard. ‘I can’t thank the audience enough for their time and emotional investment. My heartfelt thanks also to Lindsay Salt and her wonderful team at BBC Drama for their unflinching support and continued belief in the show, our story and our characters – and not least for this opportunity to do it all over again! See you soon!’

Diana Williams (HANNAH ONSLOW), Michael Kavanagh (JAMES NELSON-JOYCE) in This City Is Ours. (© BBC/Left Bank Pictures/James Stack)

What Will Happen?

No news just yet on what will happen in This City Is Ours series 2, but we expect a return to the Liverpool ganglands and to the late Ronnie Phelan’s (Sean Bean) gang, which was thrown into chaos in the series 1 finale… More on that below.

‘We are so delighted to be diving back into Stephen Butchard’s brilliant underworld of Liverpool crime with our wonderful collaborators at the BBC,’ says executive producer Sian McWilliams. ‘It’s been a joy to watch audiences fall in love with these fantastically complex characters. After the tumultuous events of the season one finale, the gang rivalries and betrayals have escalated to new levels, new ones have just begun, and there is a lot of unfinished business!’

Bobby Duffy (KEVIN HARVEY), Banksey (MIKE NOBLE) & Michael Kavanagh (JAMES NELSON-JOYCE) in This City Is Ours. (© BBC/Left Bank Pictures/James Stack)

This City Is Ours Series 1 Ending Explained

Despite Michael preparing the ground for his departure from a life of crime with pregnant wife Diana, Jamie just can’t let go of his hatred for the illegitimate successor. Suspecting Michael killed Ronnie, Jamie kidnaps Diana and holds her for ransom. The price? Michael’s suicide. Desperate to save Diana – and their unborn child – Michael hatches a plan to kidnap Jamie’s infant son, enlisting Cheryl (Saoirse Monica-Jackson) for help.

Hostages in tow, the nemeses meet on a rooftop for a final showdown. Diana is swapped for Jamie’s son, before the father pulls out a gun. Sure he’s about to shake Jamie’s resolve, Michael reveals he was the one who killed Ronnie –  ‘because it was necessary’.

Meanwhile, Colombia cocaine supplier Ricardo (Daniel Cerqueira) is dead, killed by Michael’s right-hand man Banksey (Mike Noble) in retaliation after the drug mogul planted a bomb in Banksey’s car. It joins the gang’s switch to an Albanian drug supplier, leaving the now-angry Columbians in the dust.

This is all to say there are plenty of plates spinning ahead of This City is Ours series 2. And while Michael was resolved to finally leave his life of crime behind him, it seems there are forces sucking him into the underworld than ever before, whether he likes it or not.

Jamie Phelan (JACK McMULLEN), Bobby Duffy (KEVIN HARVEY), Rachel Duffy (LAURA AIKMAN), Ronnie Phelan (SEAN BEAN), Elaine Phelan (JULIE GRAHAM), Banksey (MIKE NOBLE), Michael Kavanagh (JAMES NELSON-JOYCE) & Diana Williams (HANNAH ONSLOW) in This City Is Ours. (© BBC/Left Bank Pictures/James Stack)

Who Will Star In This City Is Ours Series 2?

The cast hasn’t been confirmed yet, but we’re sure all of our key players will return, including James Nelson-Joyce, Jack McMullen and Hannah Onslow. That said, some characters naturally can’t return, including Sean Bean who dies in episode 2 – though we should never rule out a flashback…

The likely cast list includes:

• James Nelson-Joyce as Michael Kavanagh
• Hannah Onslow as Diana Williams
• Jack McMullen as Jamie Phelan
• Julie Graham as Elaine
• Laura Aikman as Rachel Duffy
• Kevin Harvey as Bobby Duffy
• Saoirse-Monica Jackson as Cheryl Crawford
• Mike Noble as Banksey

This City Is Ours Series 2 Release Date

No news just yet on when we will get to see This City Is Ours series 2, but we’re hoping it’ll air sometime in 2026. Like the first, the second series will be made up of eight episodes.

WATCH

All eight episodes of This City Is Ours are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.