The House of Bamboo dance scene from This City Is Ours has become a Liverpool tradition, despite nearly being cut from the show. The routine, performed by the Phelan gang at a Christening in the first episode, went viral and helped make the BBC drama the most watched new drama of 2025.
A scene that almost didn't happen
Stephen Butchard, the Kirkby-born writer, included a line dancing scene to give gang boss Ronnie Phelan a softer side, reflecting a sentimental love for 50s swing. The decision shaped the show's aesthetic, with songs from Andy Williams, Matt Monro and Dean Martin providing a soundtrack to the gangland violence.
At a Q&A at FACT Picturehouse, Butchard credited the moment with giving the show its massive platform. Julie Graham, who plays Elaine Phelan, told the ECHO in an exclusive interview: "I have to say I called it. I had a meeting with the director after I'd read the script. And I said to him, 'Please don't cut the dance scene.' He said, 'We're not going to cut the dance scene.' I just said when you film these things and the episode is long, these are the things that get cut. I'm telling you now, 'This dance is going to be iconic.'"
Viral success and a dancefloor tradition
Darci Shaw, who plays Melissa Sullivan, said the viral success of the dance was the thing she was most surprised by in the response to the first series. The 24-year-old told the ECHO: "The absolute viral craziness of House of Bamboo. It proved people wrong. Everyone was like, 'This doesn't happen, but it does a lot.'"
What was once seen as something that wouldn't happen at a party has become a dancefloor tradition in the city, with the cast regularly dragged up to perform the routine. James Nelson-Joyce told the ECHO last year how he performed it with Liverpool players after the Reds won the league in 2025. He said: "I was very fortunate to be invited to the after party with the players. And I've got the players coming over to me, asking for pictures. That was a bit mad."
He added: "I just felt myself getting picked up and getting plonked in the middle of the dancefloor. And here I am doing the House of Bamboo with the starting 11. I was going, how has that happened to me?"
Cast chemistry and a second series
The chemistry between the stars is a key reason the scene managed to cut through. Laura Aikman, who plays Rachel Duffy, said this was established on the first day of shooting with the cast in Spain. The 40-year-old said: "We didn't know each other and we had to dance in the garden to Show Me Love and scream along to the music. It was a mental way to all get to know each other."
Aikman added that this helped them work out who would be good at the House of Bamboo scene. She said: "It was already in there but we could suss out who was going to be good about it and who would not."
Julie knew from the beginning the routine would strike a chord, and it returned for the second season. Aikman noted the rarity of getting the whole crew back for a second series, saying: "Everyone came back. I'm just in love with everyone we work with." All episodes of This City Is Ours season two are now available to watch on iPlayer.
