A co-production between HBO and the BBC — the series was much more heavily marketed in the UK — Years and Years is a grounded dystopian story that centers on the Lyonses, an average Manchester-based family, over the course of 15 years of profound and radical social, political, and technological upheaval following one fateful night in 2019.
Years and Years was created by Russell T Davies, the veteran TV producer and screenwriter best known for his gritty and raw LGBTQ+ dramas, including this year's outstanding Tip Toe, and for reviving Doctor Who in 2005, which re-introduced the iconic sci-fi show to new generations of audiences and helped turn it into the pop culture juggernaut it is today. Not only does Years and Years deserve to be just as renowned, but it also has a special connection to Doctor Who.
Years And Years Never Dips Below Greatness Throughout Its Run
Years and Years is a masterclass in story pacing, covering 15 years in just six heart-pounding episodes. To accomplish this feat, the series uses intense montages set to Murray Gold's relentless, heart-pounding score to show years' worth of major global events, many of them incredibly disturbing. Intercut with the montages is the Lyons family's everyday domestic life, which becomes increasingly difficult as the world devolves around them.
The series also boasts an incredible performance from Emma Thompson as Vivienne Rook, a controversial businesswoman turned politician who capitalizes on the turbulent times by forming the independent Four Star party—named after the censored expletive Rook uttered on TV, which launched her to fame. A "says what everyone else is thinking" folk hero for the disgruntled people, Rook rises to become Prime Minister of the UK on a wave of notoriety and showmanship.
Years and Years' genius isn't in how much time it covers, but in showing how a bad actor like Rook goes from a lady yelling on TV to occupying 10 Downing Street, and the role regular people like the Lyonses play in allowing it to happen. Like Davies' most harrowing shows, Years and Years is one too riveting to look away from — even when you desperately want to.
Years And Years' Connection To Doctor Who Explained
While Davies created both Years and Years and Doctor Who's "New Who" era, the two series have more in common than just the man behind them. Diehard Doctor Who fans will recognize the name Vivienne Rook, as it was also the name of a different character (spelled Vivien) in series 3, episode 12, "The Sound of Drums".
This Vivien (played by Nichola McAuliffe) is much more heroic, as she's a reporter who warns the Prime Minister's wife that her husband isn't who he says he is. Poor Vivien has no idea how much danger she's in, as the PM is in fact the renegade Time Lord known as the Master. Alas, Vivien was massacred for her efforts, but not before scheduling an email to Torchwood, which the Tenth Doctor intercepted, tipping him off to the nefarious activities afoot.
Doctor Who character trivia aside, Davies first tested out storylines for Years and Years in the 2009 Doctor Who spinoff series, Torchwood: Children of the Earth. In his book The Writer's Tale, Davies wrote that he was developing "a family drama, in which the world goes to hell" while working on Children of the Earth, and that he consciously used aspects from his then-unproduced story in the Doctor Who spinoff, specifically in the finale, in which the Torchwood family races through England trying not to fall prey to soldiers carrying out unspeakable orders on behalf of the UK's extremist government (via Radio Times).
Davies' passion for his series subject matter is always what sets them apart, and this Doctor Who connection is a fun bonus. Bottom line: Years and Years should be your next binge-watch.
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