James Nelson-Joyce has spoken to the ECHO about the return of This City Is Ours for a second season, his enduring connection to Liverpool and why he has no desire to live anywhere else. The 37-year-old actor from Walton reprises his role as conflicted gangster Michael Kavanagh in the BBC drama, with all eight episodes arriving on iPlayer on Sunday, October 25, and episode one broadcast on BBC One at 9pm.
Despite becoming one of the most recognisable figures in the city since the show debuted in March 2025, Nelson-Joyce said his daily life has not changed. He told the ECHO: "I'm still in Orrell Park most days. Nothing has really changed. No one teaches you how to deal with [fame] so you just try and take it with a pinch of salt and carry on with your life as you did before and not get too big for your boots."
Showcasing Liverpool on screen
The actor said he was anxious before the first season premiered about how it would be received in his home city, given sensitivities around crime shows set in Liverpool. He believes the show, which puts family at the heart of its story, presents the city in a cinematic style and has boosted tourism. He said: "It looks very filmic. When the show came out places we shot in like The Quarter were all fully booked up because people want to come to Liverpool and experience it. That's what we want, isn't it? We want people to come to our city, to visit and experience it."
He added: "I was shooting a film recently and we were filming in Portugal and South Africa. You know what it's like on holiday, you always bump into a Scouser. I bump into this old couple, who got talking to me. They said we haven't visited Liverpool for 25 years. But, from watching the show, it's made them go and book a holiday to Liverpool."
Pride in Scouse identity
Nelson-Joyce said embracing the personality of Liverpool has been key to the show's success. He said: "I wouldn't be the person who I am if I came from any other city. We don't take ourselves too seriously. We say it how it is. We have a laugh and we want to have a good time. We're a kind, generous, outward looking city."
Asked if he still lives in Liverpool, he replied: "Where else would I live? Yeah I could go and live where the weather is nicer or there are more fancier restaurants. But wherever it is, I'm not going to get Scousers and that's the most important part."
Inspiring the next generation
The actor said the prominence of regional accents on television is helping young people see acting as achievable. He said: "Like anything in life, you only dream to do something and think it's achievable if you see it or hear it. For such a long time, there wasn't as many regional accents on television and now there is. You've got Kin, Peaky Blinders, This City Is Ours and long may it continue because not everyone on telly has to talk [in a posh voice]."
Reflecting on his own journey, he recalled being too embarrassed as a teenager to say he wanted to act. He said: "The big thing for me is when I was 16/17, I was too embarrassed to say I wanted to be an actor. It felt like an impossible job that us Scousers don't do. Now I'm getting young kids coming up to me, wearing trackies, the same trainees I would have worn [when I was younger] and saying, 'I want to be an actor'. It's nice that it's not closed off as much anymore."
Looking ahead, Nelson-Joyce has a film called The Man Who Stole Portugal coming out next year, but said: "To be honest, I just want to take a couple of months off now and be at home."
