If you’ve worked your way through MobLand and Peaky Blinders and need a new unruly bunch to obsess over, the BBC have answered all our prayers with the return of our favourite Scouse gangsters. This City Is Ours is back for series 2 – and an explosive plot twist promises this new chapter will be even better than the first, and, dare we say, this year’s best crime drama.
If you’re unfamiliar, the hit BBC drama takes us to the centre of Liverpool’s drug trade, ruled by Ronnie Phelan (Sean Bean). Series 1 follows an explosive power struggle that erupts between Ronnie’s right-hand man, Michael Kavanagh (James Nelson-Joyce), and his wayward son, Jamie (Jack McMullen). The feud concludes after a string of deceit, kidnappings and killings, and Michael and his pregnant fiancée Diana (Hannah Onslow) flee to Spain. But the question remains – is the war truly over?
Intrigued? With series 2 arriving this autumn, here’s everything you need to know about This City Is Ours, including the plot, cast and how to watch it.
What is This City Is Ours about?
The popular BBC crime drama This City Is Ours, which first aired in 2025, takes us to the centre of Liverpool’s criminal underworld where we meet the notorious Phelan family who rule the city’s drug trade. Led by the patriarch Ronnie Phelan (Sean Bean), he’s supported by his fiercely protective wife Elaine (Julie Graham). But, as Ronnie starts thinking about his retirement, the question is who will win the war to take over – Michael Kavanagh (James Nelson-Joyce), his right-hand man, or Jamie (Jack McMullen), his erratic and unpredictable son?
What does the plot twist mean for This City Is Ours series 2?
The upcoming eight-part second series of This City Is Ours picks up where the explosive first chapter left off. Michael (James Nelson-Joyce), and his pregnant fiancée, Diana, have barely swapped the danger of Merseyside for a new life in the Spanish sunshine when they’re dragged back into the fold. Why? They’ve got questions to answer surrounding the shock death of Ricardo Guzman (Daniel Cerqueira), the family’s drug supplier. Looking for those answers is Ricardo’s little brother, Felipe Guzman (Álvaro Morte). In the series teaser, he promises a ‘nightmare’ is coming Michael’s way – so much for a fresh start!
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Meanwhile, the rest of the gang are dealing with the fallout from last series and they don’t look in the best of shapes. In first-look photos released by the BBC, Banksey (Mike Noble) appears with a bruised face, while Elaine (Julie Graham) is seen yielding a gun outside of a graveyard. Adding to the drama is the return of old-school gangster Ozzie Thomas (Shaun Evans), who arrives fresh out of prison – and he wants compensation from the family.
Who’s in the cast of This City Is Ours?
The cast of This City Is Ours includes:
- James Nelson-Joyce (Little Boy Blue) as Michael Kavanagh
- Hannah Onslow (Unicorns) as Diana Williams
- Jack McMullen (Time) as Jamie Phelan
- Mike Noble (Help) as Banksey
- Julie Graham (The Bletchley Circle, The Hardacres) as Elaine Phelan
- Laura Aikman (Archie) as Rachel Duffy
- Kevin Harvey (The Inheritance) as Bobby Duffy
- Saoirse-Monica Jackson (Derry Girls) as Cheryl Crawford
- Darci Shaw (Judy) as Melissa Sullivan
- Adam Abbou (A Banquet) as Freddie
- Bobby Schofield (The Suspect) as Bonehead
- Shaun Evans (Until I Kill You, Endeavour) as Ozzie Thomas
- Álvaro Morte (Money Heist, Immaculate, The Wheel Of Time) as Felipe Guzman
Is This City Is Ours any good?
Yes – it has everything you’d want from a good gangster drama: nail-biting tension, betrayals, brutal twists and bucketloads of style. What makes this crime drama stand out is the tender relationship between Michael and Diana, whose dream of starting a family runs parallel to the danger and violence of Liverpool’s underworld.
Is there a trailer for This City Is Ours series 2?
Yes – you can watch the trailer for This City Is Ours series 2 below.
How can I watch This City Is Ours?
Series 2 of This City Is Ours is coming to BBC iPlayer and BBC One this Autumn. You can catch up with all episodes of series 1 on BBC iPlayer now.
What other crime dramas can I watch now?
For a chilling crime drama inspired by real-life events, we’d suggest The Vanishing Triangle, which tells the story of journalist Lisa Wallace (India Mullen) who writes an article about her mother’s unsolved murder. After the story is published, the killer strikes again – leading to an intense game of cat-and-mouse. But will she be able to catch him before it’s too late? You can watch The Vanishing Triangle now on Acorn TV via Prime Video. For something cosier, try The Chelsea Detective. We follow Detective Inspector Max Arnold (Adrian Scarborough), who’s a tad different from the wealthy residents he helps out, as he cracks puzzling cases in the upmarket west London borough. The Chelsea Detective is available to stream now on U.
