Queer As Folk mastermind Russell T Davies penning dystopian post-Brexit drama
Russell T Davies
Russell T Davies is set to write a new drama set in Britain over the next 15 years, as the country is rocked by “unstable” political events.
The award-winning writer – the mastermind behind 1999 series Queer as Folk and the revival of Doctor Who – will pen the six-episode drama, called Years and Years, for BBC One.
According to RED Production Company, which will produce the series, the series will follow lives of the Lyons family from Manchester.
Queer As Folk (Channel 4)
The one-hour episodes will document the family’s “lives and loves” over 15 years from 2019, as Britain is “rocked by unstable political, economic and technological advances.”
Talking about his new drama, 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!”
RED Production Company explained the series would portray British society as it “gets hotter, faster, madder, with the turmoil of politics, technology and distant wars affecting the Lyons in their day-to-day lives.”
The company added: “Society gets Britain withdraws from Europe, America becomes a lone wolf, China asserts itself, and a new world begins to form.
(Russell T Davies)
“But someone’s taking advantage, as MP Vivienne Rook begins her rise to power – that new breed of politician, an entertainer, a rebel, a trickster and a terror, leading us into an unknown future.”
Davies will work with executive producer Nicola Shindler, who he has previously collaborated with on hit shows like Queer As Folk, Casanova, Cucumber, and Banana.
Schindler said: “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.”
Last year, Davies received the Edinburgh Television Festival’s highest honour, the 2017 Outstanding Achievement Award for his lifetime of work on television drama.
Casting will be announced in due course. The series is expected to enter production later this year.
