James Nelson-Joyce, star of the BBC drama This City Is Ours, has responded to the show being billed as the Scouse Sopranos, calling the comparison an "amazing privilege."
The Merseyside mob drama returns to BBC screens today after its first season became a word-of-mouth hit, racking up millions of viewers. The show was greenlit for a third season before the second had even landed.
A privilege to be compared to The Sopranos
When Metro raised the comparison, Nelson-Joyce said: "It's the best drama ever written. So to be put into that category, it's an amazing privilege, but I think those are very big shoes to fill."
The actor added that things did not work out terribly well for that Michael, referencing the fate of the character in the original series.
Return of the series
The eight-part series picks up just days after the shock hit-and-run of a Colombian drug lord that culminated the first season. The new episodes revolve around the dark and unpredictable ramifications of that event.
Michael Kavanagh, played by Nelson-Joyce, thinks he has escaped the cocaine game with his love Diana, played by Hannah Onslow. But inevitably, he is pulled back into the Liverpool action.
Authenticity praised by a drug smuggler
The show was singled out for its authenticity by a convicted drug smuggler, who was interviewed about gangland dramas and chose This City Is Ours over others like Top Boy.
Nelson-Joyce explained that the show was a long-time "passion project" for writer Stephen Butchard, who also penned Shardlake and The Last Kingdom for TV.
"He has worked on it for a very, very long time. And I think not only has he wrote the world perfectly, but he wrote the characters where you could fall in love and hate at the same time," Nelson-Joyce said. "Everyone does lovable acts, but despicable things at the same time."
Onslow added: "Everyone can recognise someone they know in one of the characters. They could be your next door neighbour."
Filming in Liverpool
Nelson-Joyce said fans of the show routinely approach them to gush about characters or say they want a mate like Banksy, particularly during the second time they filmed in Liverpool.
Onslow said the experience was "definitely different" the second time around. "First series, I was going into coffee shops and reading the script, and I was like, I can't do that this time, because people would recognise us."
They had looky-loos following the production, so certain exterior moments had to be blocked off to avoid spoilers.
Liverpudlian Nelson-Joyce said he found it particularly strange. "I'm used to it on a day-to-day basis. But then when we're filming, there's people with iPhones – other phones are available – they're videoing and people are constantly asking you what's going on."
The production also faced logistical issues when Sam Mendes was filming his four Beatles biopics across the city. "They nicked our base at one point," said Onslow, still miffed about losing the spot near Liverpool's Albert Dock.
"We loved that base as well," said Nelson-Joyce. "I wanted to go down there. This city is ours, you know what I mean?"
This City Is Ours returns to BBC One and iPlayer tonight at 9pm.
