The Scouse Sopranos? The Merseyside Macbeth? Whatever descriptor you apply to it, BBC’s This City Is Ours has all the ingredients of a gripping, gritty crime drama: warring dynasties, bitter betrayal, sudden violence and power struggles that teeter on the edge of all-out civil war.
Sean Bean plays Ronnie Phelan, an ageing Liverpool crime lord pondering retirement. But will his successor be his ambitious right-hand-man Michael Kavanagh (James Nelson-Joyce) or his own scheming son Jamie (Jack McMullan)?
With its real-life Liverpool locations – and the odd Spanish interlude to soak up the Costa del Sol sun and tee up another shipment of narcotics – Stephen Butchard’s series is almost suffocatingly atmospheric, evoking a criminal underworld where only the truly ruthless survive.
And the music plays a big part in that, with This City Is Ours dusting off some classic LPs from crooners like Matt Monro, Bobby Darin and Frida Boccara to lend a Scorsesian touch to all the blood-letting.
The music helped create Ronnie’s character – a man with a sentimental attachment to the past
‘Being set in Liverpool, it’s no surprise music plays such a large part in This City Is Ours,’ says lead director Saul Dibb.
‘Stephen Butchard’s first scripts already had a lot of specific music written into them – from Ronnie’s love of the crooners Matt Monroe and Perry Como to… Frankie Valli and Bobby Darin. They helped create Ronnie’s character – a man with a sentimental attachment to the past – as well as the very particular world he and his crew inhabit.’
Look out for some classic ’90s house cuts too, including Robyn S’s floor-filling anthem ‘Show Me Love’. Here’s the show’s track list in full:
This City Is Ours soundtrack
Episode 1
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - The Ride of the Valkyries
Nina Simone - Take Care of Business
Cantoma - Just Landed (Reverso 68 Remix)
Bianca Oblivion - Sweatbox Party
George Gallagher - Mack the Knife
Bernetia Miller - You Can Tell Me Goodbye
The Kinks - A Well Respected Man
George Gallagher - Can't Take My Eyes Off You
George Gallagher - House of Bamboo
Andy Williams - House of Bamboo
Dave Van Ronk - Mack the Knife
Episode 2
Dean Martin - Sway
Tiesto - Adagio For Strings
Matt Monro - All of a Sudden
Frida Boccara - La Casa Del Sol Naciente (House Of The Rising Sun)
Robin S - Show Me Love
Episode 3
Tony Bennett - The Good Life
Ann Peebles - I Can't Stand the Rain
Episode 4
Jordan Rakei - Friend or Foe
Nina Simone - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Shawn Lee - Kiss the Sky
Episode 5
Sammy Davis Jr - I've Gotta Be Me
Tony Bennett - The Good Life
Matt Monro - Till Then My Love
George Gallagher - Till Then My Love
Andy Williams - House of Bamboo
Erasure - A Little Respect
Episode 6
Berwyn - Who Am I
Episode 7
Young LS - Real Like That
Cilla Black - Anyone Who Had a Heart
Mark Lanegan - Mack the Knife
Johnny Mathis - It’s Not For Me To Say
Episode 8
Bobby Darin - Mack the Knife
When can I watch This City Is Ours?
All eight episodes will be available on BBC iPlayer now.
Where was This City is Ours filmed? Behind the scenes of the ‘Scouse Sopranos’.
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