Despite what you might be thinking on paper, the BBC's new Sean Bean-led crime drama This City is Ours is not your typical gangster show.
True, there are whispered conversations and eerily pleasant smiles. It's also filled with drugs, violence and murder, with more than a touch of something to lose. However, while it bears all the hallmarks of a traditional gangster drama, This City is Ours offers something different.
This unexpected element is largely explored through the central character of Michael (James Nelson-Joyce).
The primary story begins when patriarch and head gangster Ronnie (Bean) begins to make moves towards retirement. Much to his son Jamie's (Jack McMullen) resentment, Ronnie calls up his right-hand man Michael to be his successor. Things spiral into chaos when a shipment of cocaine goes missing and Ronnie warns of an attack from within their inner circle.
Michael is tasked with rooting out the rat, but things quickly slide into precarious territory for him and his girlfriend Diana (Hannah Onslow) and the future they are trying to create.
This is where This City is Ours takes a more nuanced approach to the gangster drama. Not with the jeopardy of a gangster's other half – that kind of goes hand-in-hand with the chilling violence. It's the show's examination of masculinity through the couple's failed attempts to conceive naturally.
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As Michael explained: "Not only have I got a low sperm count, but the fellas I'm firing can't even swim."
This storyline, and in particular how Michael immediately views his worth in the relationship after learning about his fertility struggles, begins a layered exploration into manhood within a context that is rarely seen.
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The dichotomy of seeing this ruthless, calculated man in the murky world he inhabits, against the vulnerability in his relationship to fatherhood, adds different shades to this black, white and bloody-red world he inhabits.
There are, of course, other avenues that touch on perceived 'masculinity' – from power (the desire for it and where that desire comes from) to ego. But those sit more naturally within the themes that usually dominate in a show like this.
The characters also hold their weight. Onslow's Diana is the fairly fresh new face amongst the gangster WAGS, and her apparent naivety to their world brings out another subplot when fellow WAG Cheryl (Saoirse-Monica Jackson) begins dishing out warnings. Pull on that thread long enough and This City is Ours hints at the deep unhappiness of these women, despite the opulence that enrobes them.
Bean also carries the role of wary – but unmistakably terrifying – gangster well.
The intensity in the show inches up as Michael begins to question his stake in the game, weighing its worth up against the life he could have with Diana. Meanwhile, Jamie's wounded pride has him nipping at Michael's heels, ready to take his place by any means.
It creates a concoction of mistrust and betrayal against a backdrop of unnerving brutality, whilst the central relationship between Diana and Michael is the juicy high stakes needed to make this addictive telly.
All episodes of This City is Ours are available to stream now on BBC iPlayer.
TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
