BBC show This City Is Ours renewed for a second series with major character set to return

The BBC has re-ordered Sunday night series This City is Ours - with Sean Bean tipped to return as dead gangster Ronnie Phelan in a flashback episode.

Set in Liverpool, the eight-parter centres on the power struggles which take place after the death of the criminal empire boss.

Tonight’s final episode ends with Ronnie’s right-hand man Michael Kavanagh (James Nelson-Joyce) and his son Jamie Phelan (Jack McMullen) facing off in a winner-takes-all fight for control of the gang, leaving the future uncertain for both of them.

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The series also tells the story of Michael ’s love affair with Diana, played by Hannah Onslow, set against the disintegration of the crime gang he had successfully run for years with Ronnie. Jamie’s decision that he wants to inherit the kingdom, which brings cocaine into the city using their links with the Marbella underworld, could have disastrous consequences for both him and Michael.

One insider said: “The shape of season two is up in the air but one thought is that Sean Bean will return as Ronnie in an episode about his backstory.”

The idea has already been put out by Nelson-Joyce, whose character was revealed as being behind Ronnie’s murder in the first episode.

"I was hoping he was going to make it a bit longer," the actor said. "I've been pushing to the writer if we can do one whole episode of a flashback.”

Calling Bean a “legend”, he added: “When it came to doing the murdering scene, we got a bit upset - it's not nice when you're not going to work with someone much longer who you enjoy working with.”

The show’s opener has been watched by 6.6million viewers, with the majority tuning in via , helping the show to become the most watched new drama launch of the year so far.

The show, written by Stephen Buchard, dropped as a box set in March, with more than 3million viewers already streaming the series ahead of its finale last night.

Showing his delight at the second series, Buchard said: “We have all been blown away by the incredibly positive response to This City is Ours, I can’t thank the audience enough for their time and emotional investment.”

Executive producer Sian McWilliams, for Left Bank Pictures, added: “It’s been a joy to watch audiences fall in love with these fantastically complex characters. After the tumultuous events of the season one finale, the gang rivalries and betrayals have escalated to new levels, new ones have just begun, and there is a lot of unfinished business.”

The crime thriller received high praise from many critics during its run, with one calling it “superb” and another declaring it “so much more than a typical gangster show”. A review for the NME said: “It’s cheering to be reminded that this country knows how to make decent TV.”

BBC drama boss Lindsay Salt said she “could not be happier” with how the series had been received and hinted there could be many more in the future. “I’m delighted that we now get to build on this fantastic first run and show that things are only just getting started for this very special series."

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