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Meet the women at the heart of BBC hit This City Is Ours: "Liverpool and Glasgow are matriarchal societies and cities"
The men of This City Is Ours may think they’re in charge, but as Julie Graham and her co-stars explain, Liverpool truly belongs to the women.
BBC/Leftbank Pictures/James Stack
- Craig McLean
Published: Monday, 2 November 2026 at 5:00 pm
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This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.
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No, this city is theirs. While the male characters in This City Is Ours are front and centre, it’s the crime drama’s female protagonists who more often than not grab and drive the action.
Their characterisation adds to the high-stakes jeopardy that crackles in every corner of writer Stephen Butchard’s show – a ratings and critical smash that’s already been renewed for a third series. And, as this second series reaches the halfway mark, the seismic shocks keep coming, with the female characters standing right over the fault lines.
At the show’s heart, is Julie Graham’s Elaine, the crime family’s widowed matriarch who is still grieving her husband Ronnie (Sean Bean) – and still nursing Lady Macbeth rage at Michael (James Nelson-Joyce) for stabbing him in the back (but brazenly in the front).
“No one in this show is safe,” laughs Graham. “If you’re bold enough to kill Sean Bean in episode two of the first series, then literally no one is safe. He was number one on the call sheet!”
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Thinking back to when she first heard about the show, she adds, “it wasn’t presented to me as a crime drama. It was presented as a family saga. I think they said, Succession with cocaine.”
This City is Ours is that rare thing: a gangland drama where the female characters give the men a run for their money – they’re not simply wives and girlfriends. “Absolutely,” Graham agrees. “To be honest, I wouldn’t be on the show if it was that. Not that I would be anyone’s eye-candy any more,” she adds with another laugh.
“I would probably be someone’s boring mother – or grandmother. But that’s definitely one of the strengths of the show. Stephen is a brilliant writer, so he’s very inclusive.”
Julie Graham and Sean Bean star in This City Is Ours BBC/Left Bank Pictures/James Stack
The 61-year-old Glaswegian, a film and TV star whose CV stretches back over 40 years, to crime drama Taggart, also sees similarities between her hometown and the show’s setting. “Liverpool and Glasgow are matriarchal societies and cities. You can see that that’s the way Stephen’s been brought up generationally.”
That representation underlines the authenticity of This City Is Ours.“In Liverpool, people would find it unbelievable if the women weren’t part of the decision-making. Elaine is no Carmela Soprano.
She’s very, very aware of what goes on. And she’s involved.” Graham recognises how special that is on prime-time television. “The fact that there are five really strong female characters in a gangland drama is unusual.”
Laura Aikman plays Rachel Duffy
Laura Aikman stars in This City Is Ours BBC/Leftbank Pictures/James Stack
Where do we find Rachel halfway through this series?
Jamie’s the leader, but Rachel is the brains of that operation – I don’t think that’s too insulting to Jamie to say! She’s more ambitious than any of the boys. I wanted this for her so badly throughout series one. I was in Stephen’s ear: “Come on, she’s really smart!” So I’m pleased that she is in the driver’s seat.
When this part came to you, did you ever think, “Oh no, not another blokey gangster show?”
No, I’ve never been in one, so I was like: “Please, let me be in a gangster show!” At the time we’d been watching Kin, which I love, and I was inspired by that. And I was a massive fan of The Sopranos – I’ve seen it three times.
We need to talk about Gavin and Stacey. What did appearing in the Christmas 2024 finale as Smithy’s (James Corden) girlfriend mean for you in the street?
People are quite sweet about it. Sometimes men will say, “I would have married you [instead of Nessa],” which is nice! Sometimes people say: “I hated you in that show.” I’m like, “Thank you, good, job done.”
You’re in the new series of Line of Duty. What can you tell us about that?
Nothing! Erm, we filmed it in Belfast. Erm, I’m in the police.
Are you a good cop or a bad cop?
With Line of Duty, that’s always for the audience to decide, isn’t it?
Saoirse-Monica Jackson plays Cheryl Crawford
Cheryl (Saoirse-Monica Jackson) in This City Is Ours. BBC/Leftbank Pictures/James Stack
Cheryl has had quite an intense start to this series...
She’s making sure that she gets what she’s owed. She’s got such emotional intelligence and bravery, so you feel all her emotions when they happen. And grief is such an interesting thing to play. Any time I’ve been through it, it’s a real leveller in a weird way.
The show was a huge BBC hit last year, has been sold to AMC in the US and been recommissioned for a third series. In a crowded TV gangster marketplace, why do you think it strike such a chord?
What’s specifically standout about this one is the fact that it’s Scouse. Scousers have such a unique culture. It reminds me a lot of Irish people. They’re very family oriented. And they really stick it to the man – or the rival drug-dealing gang.
In terms of building the character, how much does the hair and make-up help you find Cheryl?
They have bags and bags of hair extensions for me for different hairstyles. It’s a lot of crimping, which is fun. It’s like a blast from the past – back to the 90s! But that’s a great thing to slip on in the morning. For Cheryl, who is so strong and brave, the hair feels like an armour, or a crown – or a weapon.
Hannah Onslow plays Diana Williams
Hannah Onslow stars in This City Is Ours. BBC/Leftbank Pictures/James Stack
This series opened with you and Saoirse’s characters trapped together in Spain. How were those scenes to film?
We had loads of great stuff to do, with trying to understand their dynamic. There’s a big sisterly thing that Cheryl has with Diana. We see that in series one, when Cheryl warns her: “Get out while you can, hun.” Although Diana doesn’t listen.
Stephen seems very good at writing those intimate scenes.
He is. Finding that alliance with another woman, I was really glad he put that in there. Because the way that women are with each other is very different when there’s a man in the room.
Early on we saw Diana’s IVF drugs being used as a weapon against her. Did that leap off the page as a storyline?
Oh my word, yeah. It’s so dark. That’s all Diana wants: to be a mum. I remember speaking to Saul Dibb, the director, and Stephen, saying that it’s important that we see her inject the drugs, that we see the toll it’s taking on her body. And the stakes are high, because if she doesn’t inject the hormones, she could lose the baby. That kicks in her lioness instinct, which was really helpful for me as an actress.
Is Julie Graham the mother hen off set as well?
Yes, but she’s also the last to leave the pub! We all adore and respect her – and worship the ground she walks on. But she is properly naughty. We all said, if there was anyone in the show that could do well in this world, it would be her. And that is the highest compliment! I wouldn’t mess with Julie Graham!
Darci Shaw plays Melissa Sullivan
Darci Shaw in This City Is Ours. BBC/Leftbank Pictures/James Stack
Your breakout role was playing the young Judy Garland, alongside Renée Zellweger’s older version, in the 2019 biopic Judy. What’s your abiding memory of that?
When I stepped onto the set at Pinewood and saw the build that they’d done for the Yellow Brick Road. I remember feeling the most excitement ever as a 15-year-old. And then also a bit of panic – “What am I doing?”
How would you describe the characterisation of Melissa and the other female characters?
You’ve got to respect the Scouse girls. When we went into series one, I made sure it looked right. I didn’t want to be a caricature. Obviously, there’s the fake tan and nails and lashes. But Liverpool girls are just well groomed. It’s more glam than London or anywhere else.
As the only native Liverpudlian among the women, have you seen pride on Merseyside as a result of this show?
I think so. The way that the city is displayed is great – and it is a stunning city. It’s why I’ve never moved. I’ve tried living in different places. But there’s nowhere else I want to be.
Are you saying there’s no place like home?
I think I am!
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This City Is Ours airs Sunday 8 November and Monday 9 November at 9.00pm on BBC One. Stream series 1 and 2 in full on BBC iPlayer.
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Authors
Craig McLean
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