“Better than Unforgotten”: Last Tango in Halifax is Nicola Walker’s “beyond brilliant” drama to watch tonight

Have you ever finished watching a TV show and immediately thought, “I could binge that all over again”. That’s exactly how you’ll feel after watching Nicola Walker’s beyond brilliant series, Last Tango in Halifax. The BBC drama, which first aired more than a decade ago, tells the story of 70-somethings Alan (Derek Jacobi) and Celia (Anne Reid), who reunite and find love in later life - and, as Nicola Walker dramas go, it’s even better than Unforgotten.

What makes it so compelling, you ask? Well, while on the surface it’s a romance story, Last Tango in Halifax is actually so much more than that. While we can’t help but fall in love with Alan and Celia, their dysfunctional families - including Alan’s daughter Gillian (Nicola) and Celia’s daughter Caroline (Sarah Lancashire) – root the drama in reality, providing humour and heartbreak along the way.

With the series available to stream tonight (or now, if you like) on the BBC, here’s everything you need to know about Last Tango in Halifax before you tune in, including the plot, cast and how to watch it.

What is Last Tango in Halifax about?

The romantic comedy drama is written by Sally Wainwright, who’s best known for shows including Happy Valley, Riot Women and Gentleman Jack. As we mentioned, our two central characters are Alan (Derek Jacobi) and Celia (Anne Reid), bereaved 70-somethings who reconnect after several decades apart. How do they do it? Their grandsons put them on Facebook.

The romance between the pair is actually based on Sally's own experiences. In real-life, her mother reconnected with a former schoolfriend via Friends Reunited in her 70s. Despite the fact they hadn’t seen each other since they were aged 16, they ended up getting married. Aw!

But back to the series. The story follows Alan and Celia’s rekindled romance, which also presents challenges for their respective families. Alan’s daughter Gillian (Nicola Walker) and Celia’s daughter Caroline (Sarah Lancashire) are total opposites. Gillian runs the family farm along with her teenage son, Raff, and is somewhat chaotic. As for Caroline, she’s the headmistress of a successful school and is dealing with the fallout of her academic husband John’s affair.

Over the course of five series, we see the families deal with everything from death, divorce, illness and heartbreak – while our retired lovebirds Alan and Celia always at the heart of the story. As Anne Reid put it in an interview with the BBC, when Celia meets Alan, “she is reborn. She becomes the woman she should have been all her life. She blossoms because she knows Alan loves her as much as she loves him.”

Nicola, who plays Gillian, added of the series: “Sally Wainwright takes you on a fantastic journey with these people. Every time you think you know where the story is going, it darts off in an unexpected direction. She peels back the layers of these people lives and what is revealed is funny and painful, messy and very true.”

Who’s in the cast of Last Tango in Halifax?

The cast of Last Tango in Halifax includes:

• Nicola Walker (Annika) as Gillian
• Sarah Lancashire (Happy Valley) as Caroline
• Anne Reid (Riot Women) as Celia
• Derek Jacobi (Hamlet) as Alan
• Tony Gardner (The Escape Artist) as John
• Dean Andrews (Number One Fan) as Robbie
• Nina Sosanya (The End We Start From) as Kate
• Ronni Ancona (EastEnders) as Judith Tyzack
• Louis Greatorex (The Bay) as Lawrence Elliot

Is there a trailer for Last Tango in Halifax?

Yes, you can watch the trailer for Last Tango in Halifax below.

View full post on YouTube

Is Last Tango in Halifax any good?

Yes, it’s a fantastic series. Nicola is right when she says you never quite know where the story is headed and yet you root for (almost!) every one of the characters, even if it’s in some unexpected way. If you like the idea of a series that's heart-warming but has real humour that you'll be able to relate to, we can’t recommend Last Tango in Halifax enough.

How can I watch Last Tango in Halifax?

You can watch all 5 series of Last Tango in Halifax now on BBC iPlayer.

What other Nicola Walker dramas can I watch now?

If you’re a fan of detective dramas, we’d highly recommend River. The series follows Detective Inspector John River (Stellan Skarsgård) who’s haunted, you might say, by his former colleague Detective Sergeant Jackie "Stevie" Stevenson (played by Nicola). You can watch River on ITVX. For something a little lighter, we’d suggest Heading Out. Nicola plays Justine, a loyal friend to longtime pal Sara (Sue Perkins), who’s too scared to tell her parents she’s gay. So what does she do? Help Sara do it. Heading Out is available to watch on Prime Video.