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Russell T. Davies' Years And Years

GNC

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Just found out about this: Russell T. Davies returns to science fiction with Years and Years, starting on Tuesday at 9pm on BBC1. Here's the trailer:

Quelle surprise, it's a dystopia, but at least it's one with a sense of humour. I'm enthused about this, when Davies is good, he's great.
 
I just watched the first episode, interesting AND scary!

I like the little 'guesses' at possible technology, five years hence.

edited to add: I also twigged Russell Tovey's character as RTD's 'voice' in the drama - I have to agree with him, maybe civilisation is getting stupider as life becomes easier.
 
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Finished watching Eurovision Semi-Final, went onto iPlayer to see episode 1 and... not available yet. Arse. Will give it another go tomorrow to catch up (getting a bit tired now).
 
OK, seen episode 1 now, thought it was excellent, great to see RTD back on a sci-fi trip. Liked how it was serious in some ways, surprisingly cheeky in others, taking in people too distracted by taking offence to see the major events are happening around them.

Yes, the comment when Russell Tovey's boyfriend accused him of being closeminded because he wasn't a flat-Earther was very pertinent, like we got so advanced that our reasoning has burst like a bubble, and we're suckers for any old crackpot theory now. The ending was genuinely tense, as well. I bet there will be transhumans eventually, too!
 
I just watched the first episode, interesting AND scary!

I thought that...

when the air raid sirens where going off towards the end was particularly scary. Actually I would describe it as one of the most chilling moments of TV drama that I've seen in a long while, took me right back to Threads.


Prediction:
I bet that the four stars of the Four Star Party get used in a later episode as an extreme right-wing symbol, akin to the swastika.
 
Me three! But then I remembered we had five episodes to go, and the programme was not going to shoot its bolt that soon.
 
According to the IMDB, there are several cast members playing themselves. Four of them I can understand as newsreaders or political correspondents but Alexander Armstrong?

Does the BBC intend pacifying us with endless repeats of Pointless in the event of a nuclear war?
 
I won't spoil the Alexander Armstrong cameo, but it is amusing. Episode 2 tonight kept up the quality (populist politician seeming reasonable) but no matter how good this is, and it is very good, my goodness it makes you anxious.
 
We saw the latest episode tonight and Techy said
'That drone's going to cut his head off'! and yup, slash, splat! off it came.
 
Looks like there may be more gore judging by the jarring last image in the trailer for next week's. Typically, I'd recommended it to my sister and reassured her it wasn't a gory programme. Haven't heard back from her yet.
 
Ooh, this is really good, I like a proper epic that focuses on the personal, and this is contrasting the bigger picture with the more intimate one superbly. I mean, I am laughing in places, but it's nervous laughter. The eye!
 
I did not see that coming! I knew it would happen to a character eventually, but... I'll say no more for fear of spoilers. The misdirection in this show is excellent. Also, "He's the kind of man who's happy when he finds a big crisp" is a brilliant line. And no trailer for next week's!
 
I did not see that coming! I knew it would happen to a character eventually, but... I'll say no more for fear of spoilers. The misdirection in this show is excellent. Also, "He's the kind of man who's happy when he finds a big crisp" is a brilliant line. And no trailer for next week's!

Still very, very interesting (and anxiety-inducing).

I liked Edith's scene with her fish-filleting anecdote, she showed the kind of awareness we all wished we had...
 
Still very, very interesting (and anxiety-inducing).

I liked Edith's scene with her fish-filleting anecdote, she showed the kind of awareness we all wished we had...

It'll be illuminating to see if that guy's in next week's episode! This series makes a terrific compliment to 63 Up on ITV - typically, they're on at the same time.
 
I'm really enjoying it - up to ep 3 so far. The cast is terrific & there's a lot of different threads to it.

Emma Thompson's politician character is a bit too over-the-top caricature imo. Would've been better & more effective toned down a notch or two I reckon. A minor quibble though.
 
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Regarding illegal immigration across the Channel - Won't we have giant man-carrying drones by 2027?

I predict that

Viktor assumes another characters identity, who did lose his passport after all.
 
I'm really enjoying it - up to ep 3 so far. The cast is terrific & there's a lot of different threads to it.

Emma Thompson's politician character is a bit too over-the-top caricature imo. Would've been better & more effective toned down a notch or two I reckon. A minor quibble though.

I'm not so sure, judging by some of the cartoon characters that get into power these days.
 
Regarding illegal immigration across the Channel - Won't we have giant man-carrying drones by 2027?

I predict that

Viktor assumes another characters identity, who did lose his passport after all.

So do we reckon that...
the family are banging on Daniel & Viktor's door to comfort & check on him or to confront and blame him? I can't make my mind up!
 
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Do we reckon the family are banging on Daniel & Viktor's door to comfort & check on him or to confront and blame him? I can't make my mind up!

Needs a spoiler! Some people are still catching up!
 
No bananas? Truly this is a dystopian hellscape!

Getting all very sinister. "You're the Prime Minister, you can do anything you want." Maybe not. Excellent use of "well-known fact" re: "camps", too.
 
Did anyone else recognise the house where Rory Kinnear met Emma Thompson? I'm sure I've seen it in something else quite recently and I think it was being used in a similar context (secret/shady high-end political dealings).
 
No bananas? Truly this is a dystopian hellscape!

Getting all very sinister. "You're the Prime Minister, you can do anything you want." Maybe not. Excellent use of "well-known fact" re: "camps", too.

The PM says 'I can't (disappear away from all the stress or however she puts it) because they'd have me killed.'
So who are 'they' and why is she so sure?
 
Not the Russians, because she told Steven "Don't be stupid" when he said something about them. Some shady organisation in the UK who is using her as a stooge? Or was she not being serious?

It's so good, isn't it? I LOVE the tech.
 
On the subject of spoilers I must say that I never, ever give them out. It's unsporting.

Years ago there was a famous fillum with a shocking twist and I was probably the last person in the world to see it without knowing the secret, and I didn't bloody get it, right up to the end. I was still scratching my head almost as the credits rolled. It was brilliant.

These days everything's on catch-up so people often miss the first showing of a series. We should be careful not to ruin the suspense.
 
On the subject of spoilers I must say that I never, ever give them out. It's unsporting.

Years ago there was a famous fillum with a shocking twist and I was probably the last person in the world to see it without knowing the secret, and I didn't bloody get it, right up to the end. I was still scratching my head almost as the credits rolled. It was brilliant.

These days everything's on catch-up so people often miss the first showing of a series. We should be careful not to ruin the suspense.

I agree - it happens in nearly all the TV/movie threads, except for Doctor Who and GoT which have spoiler warnings in the titles.

We need a forum-wide agreement on how we handle spoilers. There's a spoiler tag but it seems to be used mainly to hide NSFW or stomach-churning content.
 
No spoilers here, other than to say it didn't end as I expected, and that was absolutely fine. In fact, it's been a TV highlight of the year, thoroughly enjoyed it. But in the last episode, I realised who Rory Kinnear sounds like: Noel Gallagher! Close your eyes and it's him! Anyway, maybe a little spoiler: nice to see Bethany got a hairdo that suited her at last.

But yeah, it did what science fiction should do more often, wonder about the future with all its worries and (just maybe) reassurances.
 
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