Line #265 Characters/YearsAndYears


1	The characters of the television series ''Series/YearsAndYears'':
2	----
3
4	[[foldercontrol]]
5
6	!!The Lyons Family
7
8
9	[[folder:Stephen]]
10	!!Stephen Lyons
11	->'''Played By: Creator/RoryKinnear'''
12	->"I'm the Man Who [[spoiler: Lost A Million Quid]], remember?"
13	The eldest of the Lyons siblings. A financial advisor who lives in London with his wife Celeste and two daughters, Bethany and Ruby.
14
15	----
16	* ArmourPiercingQuestion: Bethany launches one at him when she [[spoiler:discovers his affair with Elaine]]. It also gets under Celeste's skin, as [[spoiler:she is]].
17	-->What colour is she?
18	* BrokenAce: A one-time high-powered financial expert who becomes a lab rat and courier after moving to Manchester, and becoming [[spoiler: [[EmbarrassingNickname "The Man Who Lost A Million Quid".]] ]]
19	* TheDogBitesBack: [[spoiler:He shoots his evil boss in the knee after the concentration camps are revealed.]]
20	* FallenHero: Goes from being a well-loved, authoritative father and banker to a cheater who is barely scraping by and forced to work a brutal courier job, even becoming a ''lab rat''... [[spoiler: And out of desparation, ends up taking a job [[PunchClockVillain working for a company that oversees]] ''concentration camps''.]]
21	* FallenOnHardTimesJob: Used to be a financial advisor, eventually ends up working ''five'' jobs, the most prominent being a courier.
22	* LikeFatherLikeSon / IAmNotMyFather: Muriel says that he ''is'', which totally devastates Stephen.
23	* MisplacedRetribution: He is so broken up over the death of [[spoiler: Daniel]], that he ends up blaming [[spoiler: Viktor]] for it and decides to get revenge by [[spoiler: sending him to a ''concentration camp.'']]
24	* [[spoiler: PunchClockVillain]]: [[spoiler: During his time working for Woody's company, which is contracted by Viv Rook's quasi-fascist government to manage the "[[DeadlyEuphemism Erstwhile]] sites".]]
25	* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:He always intended to send the file to the police then kill himself. However, it luckily gets subverted when [[HappilyFailedSuicide Celeste stops him]].]]
26	* SiblingYinYang: The case with him and Edith, his sibling that is the closest in age. They went inter-railing when they were young, Edith wanted to smoke weed and sleep on beaches but Stephen just wanted to stay in nice hotels.
27	* UglyGuyHotWife: Believes this to be the case for him and Celeste.
28	[[/folder]]
29
30	[[folder:Edith]]
31	!!Edith Lyons
32	->'''Played By: Creator/JessicaHynes'''
33	->"Tear the world down."
34	The second-born Lyons sibling. Notable activist who has been working all around the world.
35
36	----
37	* AllForNothing: Seems to view most of her activism as this towards the start of the series, after the [[spoiler: nuclear bombing of Hong Sha Dao]]. She even enjoys Viv Rook's antics out of sheer nihilism. ...She gets better.
38	* [[BigBrotherInstinct Big Sister Instinct]]: Towards Rosie, when she starts dating Jonjo. When Edith and Jonjo are alone in the kitchen, she starts off by casually talking about gutting fish while she lived at sea, and ends the conversation with a knife at his throat.
39	* TheCynic: As mentioned above, she seems to have suffered major activism burnout at the start of the series.
40	-->'''Edith''': "No, but really. Y’know, like... We keep saying, you’ve got 10 more years to sort out climate change? You’ve got 10 more years to sort out flooding? You’ve got 10 more years to sort out the rainforest? We were saying that 30 years ago. [[YouAreTooLate It’s too late.]] We’ve run out of time. Everyone knows it. Nothing to be done. You can recycle and campaign and go on marches. We’re going to flood. And burn. And starve. And we won’t die, I’m not saying that, the human race will carry on, just... living on plateaus. [[DaysOfFuturePast Like shepherds. Little villages. Maybe with a computer in a hut that you can visit once a week.]] Then go back to growing your little patch of corn. And you might be digging out some rocks and singing Elvis to yourself, or the Beatles, but you won’t know who they are anymore. [[LostCommonKnowledge Just folk songs from long ago.]]"
41	-->[[{{Beat}} Beat.]]
42	-->'''Daniel''':"It's so nice to have you back."
43	* ExpansionPackPast: Her activism that takes her all over the globe, but she only properly appears after she returns to the UK and largely stops doing it.
44	* GranolaGirl: In appearance and an environmental activist. Zigzagged in that she becomes much more cynical after feeling that her actions have been for nothing, but she goes back to this after realising that she needs to make use of [[spoiler:the time that she has]].
45	* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: How she threatens Jonjo when he and Rosie start getting serious.
46	* IncurableCoughOfDeath: How her radiation poisoning shows up.
47	* PersonaNonGrata: Banned from the USA after unsuccessfully protesting the overturning of ''Roe v. Wade''.
48	* SoapboxSadie: She's an activist who essentially kills herself by going near radiation. Although she claims to give up on activism, she never does and protests Roe v. Wade.
49	* TookALevelInJerkass: After feeling that her years of campaigning were all for nothing, she becomes a Viv Rook fan and gives up on caring about anything, to the point of being extremely cynical and callous. However, she gets better over time and returns to her normal self.
50	* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[spoiler: After being exposed to a high amount of radiation while chronicling the aftermath of the strike at Hong Sha Dao, an interviewer on TV asks her about it and states that she probably has 20 years to leave.]] Edith neither confirms nor denies this, but her family take it as confirmation. It gets worse. [[spoiler: Bethany works out that with wind conditions, it's probably more like 10.]]
51	[[/folder]]
52
53	[[folder:Daniel]]
54	!!Daniel Lyons
55	->'''Played By: Creator/RussellTovey'''
56	->"I mean, what do you do? When your husband is too thick?"
57	The third-born Lyons sibling. A housing officer in a relationship with a teacher, Ralph.
58
59	----
60	* BuryYourGays: [[spoiler:He dies via drowning in the Channel.]]
61	* CrusadingWidower: Played with. Viktor isn't actually dead, but he and Daniel are separated for years when Viktor is deported, and Daniel never gives up on getting him back.
62	* HappilyMarried: To Viktor, who is also his SecondLove [[spoiler:before his death.]]
63	* HeroicSacrifice: A variant. [[spoiler:He doesn't actually die saving Viktor, but the only reason he's on the boat in the first place is because he gives up his passport to help him escape France.]]
64	* LoveMakesYouCrazy: A rare positive version, but when he falls in love with Viktor, he starts acting much more impulsively in an attempt to protect him.
65	* OnlySaneMan: In the opening of episode one, he is the only one of the Lyons family watching tv to see Viv Rook for what she is and what she could become.
66	** A big factor in the breakdown of his relationship with Ralph - he can't cope with his gullible attitude towards conspiracy theories on the internet.
67	* {{Protectorate}}: To Viktor.
68	* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler:His death utterly devastates all of the Lyons.]]
69	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Towards the end of episode one, Daniel literally drives away from his family and ultimately from his marriage to his husband to be with Viktor at what he thinks might be the end of the world.
70	[[/folder]]
71
72	[[folder:Rosie]]
73	!!Rosie Lyons
74	->'''Played By: Ruth Madeley'''
75	->"I'm a championship wrestler."
76	The youngest of the Lyons siblings. A single mum with two kids, Lee and Lincoln.
77
78	----
79	* AlliterativeName: Must be fond of this trope, seeing as she named her children Lee Lyons and Lincoln Lyons.
80	* GullibleLemmings: The representative of this within the Lyons family. She's a ''huge'' fan of Viv Rook despite Viv's eugenics policies (and being disabled herself) and, unlike Edith, doesn't even have the excuse that she just wants to destroy the world. She thinks Viv is ''right''.
81	* HandicappedBadass: In episode six, when her son Lee is [[UrbanSegregation locked out of their estate]] by private security forces, she [[spoiler: gets Lincoln to control the foot pedals of her food van and knocks down the gate.]]
82	* ItsAllMyFault: Revealed to struggle with this - she blames herself and her spina bifida for their dad leaving their mum. She points out that he only left the family after she was born and he remained faithful to his second wife.
83	* PluckyGirl: Has a very sunny demeanour.
84	* TheScrappy / UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: As she is supposed to represent the working-class everywoman, her behaviour can often bring her to becoming this, such as her support for Viv Rook. A notable example is when she callously tells Stephen, her ''own brother'', that she has zero sympathy for the fact that [[spoiler:he lost over a million pounds]] and telling him he deserves it because he's a financial advisor and therefore the crash was his fault anyway.
85	* StrugglingSingleMother: She has two kids with two different [[DisappearedDad disappeared dads]] and manages a school canteen.
86	** In episode six, she [[spoiler: marries Jonjo and has a baby with him.]]
87	* WhereDaWhiteWomenAt: Inverted. She's a white woman who seems to be mainly attracted to Asian guys, giving that her son Lincoln is half-Chinese and she [[spoiler:marries Jonjo]].
88	[[/folder]]
89
90
91	[[folder:Muriel]]
92	!!Muriel Deacon
93	->'''Played By: Anne Reid'''
94	->"Well. I wouldn’t know. Not in my little kitchen in Manchester."
95	The maternal grandmother of Daniel, Edith, Rosie and Stephen.
96
97	----
98	* CoolOldLady: The beloved matriarch of the Lyons family, she doesn't [[InnocentBigot always use the right words]] but she's strong, kind and non-judgemental - she even holds back Viktor's hair when he's piss drunk and throwing up in her sink.
99	* DirtyOldWoman: Tells Ralph that he looks very sexy in his dungarees when he's helping to paint her house. Daniel's a little shocked... but ultimately agrees with her assessment.
100	* NeverMessWithGranny: Downplayed, but she's very stern with Stephen as [[spoiler:she kicks him out when she discovers that he's cheating]] and she's very protective of Viktor as well as Bethany and Ruby.
101	* RacistGrandma: Deconstructed. While Muriel does refer to Lincoln as a "Chinaman" in the first episode, and earns anger from Celeste and Rosie, it's a genuine mistake [[FairForItsDay due to her age]] and she's ''not'' an InnocentBigot, as she's extremely accepting of the Lyons' mixed family and is actually shown to be one of the most accepting family members.
102	* TechnologicallyBlindElders: A mixed example, she does regularly video-chat with her grandchildren and she owns a smart speaker with a virtual assistant... but she has to keep a note in the kitchen cupboard to remember what to call it.
103	[[/folder]]
104
105	[[folder:Bethany]]
106	!!Bethany Bisme-Lyons
107	->'''Played By: Lydia West'''
108	->"Did you know you can live forever?"
109	Stephen and Celeste's elder daughter. Identifies as trans, as in [[{{Transhuman}} transhuman]].
110
111	----
112	* BeingHumanSucks: She's very unhappy with her default state and will go to great lengths to upgrade.
113	* BrattyTeenageDaughter: Her determination to ignore Stephen and Celeste about becoming transhuman leads to many arguments, her spending all her savings, and her ''nearly mutilating herself''.
114	* {{Cyborg}}: [[spoiler: In Episode 5, she is augmented with state-of-the art cybernetic implants as part of her government job, including ElectronicEyes, a BrainComputerInterface, and [[RequiredSecondaryPowers subcutaneous finger sensors]] which allow her to operate a virtual keyboard]].
115	* ElectronicEyes:
116	** In episode three, she [[spoiler: narrowly avoided being given malfunctioning camera eyes by a back alley doctor. Her friend wasn't so lucky.]]
117	** In episode five, she [[spoiler: is given eyes that can take pictures, after her upgrades from the government]].
118	* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: After [[spoiler: getting significant tech upgrades]] from her government job, her hair is much more manicured in contrast to her previously unkempt curls. This could either be due to working in a more professional environment or a signifier of her [[spoiler:feeling more at peace after reaching her life's goal of becoming transhuman.]]
119	* PhoneaholicTeenager: At the start of the series, she refuses to take off her snapchat-esque filter mask and emails her parents with appointments for when they can have a chat.
120	* {{Transhuman}}: She comes out as trans to her parents, but she means this, not transgender. In later episodes, [[spoiler: she gets sub-dermal implants that allow her to use her hands to receive phone calls and then gets internet access installed into her brain.]]
121	* WorkingForABodyUpgrade: It's implied to be part of why she works in the civil service.
122	[[/folder]]
123
124	[[folder:Ruby]]
125	!! Ruby Bisme-Lyons
126	->'''Played By: Jade Alleyne'''
127	Stephen and Celeste's younger daughter.
128
129	----
130	* DaddysGirl: It's implied by the fact that she hugs Stephen after [[spoiler:his affair with Elaine is revealed]], while Bethany doesn't.
131	* OutOfFocus: In comparison with her sister, her character is not explored as much.
132	[[/folder]]
133
134	[[folder:Lee]]
135	!!Lee Lyons
136	->'''Played By: Callum Woolford, Adam Little'''
137	Rosie's firstborn child.
138	----
139	* {{Delinquents}}: Goes through a period of teenage delinquency.
140	* DisappearedDad: His dad is a married man with three daughters living in Slough. Is mentioned to send Rosie money.
141	[[/folder]]
142
143	[[folder:Lincoln]]
144	!!Lincoln Lyons
145	->'''Played By: Jett Moises, Aaron Ansari, Aiden Li'''
146	Rosie's second child, born in the first episode.
147
148	----
149	* AmbiguousGenderIdentity: They're assigned male at birth, but takes a real liking to hair ribbons after Edith dresses them up to help her do some undercover work at a corporate HQ during a Take Your Daughter To Work day. Nobody cares about the ribbons, least of all Rosie. By the end of episode six, they are fully presenting as female but still going by the name Lincoln. It's left unclear what Lincoln's exact gender identity is.
150	* DisappearedDad: Their dad, Gau, went home to Beijing before the birth.
151	[[/folder]]
152
153	!!Friends and Partners
154	[[folder:Celeste Bisme-Lyons]]
155	!!Celeste Bisme-Lyons
156	->'''Played By: Creator/TNiaMiller'''
157	->"Milk’s not good for you, darling, it’s just mucus."
158	Stephen's wife.
159
160	----
161	* AccentSlipUp: Generally speaks with a posh London accent but in times of extreme stress her accent turns notably Jamaican. (Her mother is mentioned to be from Port Maria.)
162	* ADegreeInUseless: With the advances in AI, she views her degree in accountancy as this.
163	* BaldOfAuthority: She's pretty domineering over Stephen and her family (though not without good reason), and she has a shaved head.
164	* BestFriendsInLaw: At the start of the series, [[ObnoxiousInLaws there is no love lost between Celeste and Muriel.]] However, a number of events conspire - particularly Muriel having Celeste's back when [[spoiler: she wants to kick Stephen out of the house for cheating on her]] - mean that towards the end of the series, Muriel has given Celeste a share of her will, equal to what she is giving her grandchildren.
165	* BreakTheHaughty: She's pretty judgemental towards Muriel and snobby, which all changes after she and Stephen lose all their money, she essentially loses her job and has to take a much lower-paying one, and move in with Muriel, with whom she doesn't really get on in the beginning.
166	* MyBelovedSmother: Not a particularly bad case but on one occasion, she does read Bethany's internet history without her consent or knowledge.
167	* SassyBlackWoman: Celeste is ''very'' strong and, as Stephen learns, you trifle with her at your peril.
168	* StepfordSnarker: She's pretty open about being unhappy with her new job(s) and station in life, but she nevertheless forces herself to keep it together when [[spoiler:she learns that Stephen is having an affair, for instance, only revealing it months later when she has to]].
169	* SugarAndIcePersonality: She's very stern and strict with Stephen and in her professional life, plus in general, but she also has an extremely soft side which she demonstrates around Bethany, Jade, and, eventually, Muriel.
170	[[/folder]]
171
172	[[folder:Ralph Cousins]]
173	!!Ralph Cousins
174	->'''Played By: Dino Fletcher'''
175	->"Look. I’m not saying I’m absolutely right, which means you can’t say I’m absolutely wrong."
176	Daniel's partner at the start of the series. He's Welsh and a primary school teacher.
177
178	----
179	* ConspiracyTheorist: Much to Daniel's chagrin - particularly given that he's a teacher - he believes that germs are a hoax created by the pharmaceutical industry and that there's ''something'' to the flat earth movement.
180	* GullibleLemmings: Shares this role (albeit more severe and a more minor character) with Rosie.
181	* RevengeByProxy: After Daniel leaves him to be with Viktor, he gets revenge by [[spoiler: reporting evidence of Viktor illegally working in a petrol station to the Home Office, resulting in Viktor's deportation.]]
182	* SmallRoleBigImpact: He only appears mostly in the first two episodes, but [[spoiler:he's responsible for getting Viktor deported and thus being responsible for ''everything'' that results from it.]]
183	[[/folder]]
184
185	[[folder:Viktor Goraya]]
186	!!Viktor Goraya
187	->'''Played By: Maxim Baldry'''
188	->"You see? There was a tiny scar. Where the electrode goes in. But not any more, it fades away."
189	A Ukrainian refugee living in one of the sites that Daniel manages. Eventually, they develop a romantic relationship.
190
191	----
192	* DarkAndTroubledPast: Was tortured in Ukraine for being gay.
193	* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:After Daniel's death.]]
194	* HeroicBSoD: Suffers from a classic example after [[spoiler:Daniel dies]] and he returns to the Lyons house.
195	* FamilyOfChoice: His biological parents shopped him to the government for being gay due to their extreme orthodox beliefs. For the most part, he becomes a beloved part of the Lyons family and in episode six, [[spoiler: even though Daniel has been dead for years]], he refers to them as his family and has faith that they will help him [[spoiler: escape the concentration camp in which he is imprisoned. And they do.]]
196	* FlyingUnderTheGaydar: A serious example. When [[spoiler: he is deported to Ukraine, he is told to live "discreetly". He complies until it looks like even that won't be enough.]]
197	* HappilyMarried: To Daniel [[spoiler:before his death.]]
198	* IronButtMonkey: Let's see. He flees to England from the Ukraine because of their new anti-gay laws. He falls in love with Daniel but is then violently and suddenly deported back to the Ukraine, where he has to live separately from the man he loves. After a crack down in the Ukraine, he flees to Spain where he's largely unsuccessful in getting back, he's stolen from...he takes all of this relatively in his stride. [[spoiler:Until Daniel dies, and he can't hold it together long enough.]]
199	* ThePollyanna: Previously he had been very calm and taken it in his stride when he's deported to the Ukraine, in a camp in the UK, or in Spain during a crisis, which makes it all the more [[TearJerker devastating]] when [[spoiler:Daniel's death]] totally breaks him.
200	* {{Protectorate}}: For Daniel and the Lyons more generally.
201	* SensualSlavs: A male example. Daniel's sex life notably improves when he starts dating Viktor.
202	* TragicKeepsake: [[spoiler:Daniel's house key, which he reveals that [[TearJerker he kept all the time he was a refugee]] and uses to get back into the house at the end of episode four, but never with Daniel.]]
203	* WorthlessForeignDegree: Has a degree in economics and is highly educated.
204	[[/folder]]
205
206	[[folder:Fran Baxter]]
207	!!Fran Baxter
208	->'''Played By: Creator/SharonDuncanBrewster'''
209	Daniel's neighbour, who becomes a friend of the Lyons.
210
211	----
212	* LifeOfTheParty: Her skills as a storyteller and as a singer in a band leads to highlights such as her energetically singing ''Mama Tembu's Wedding'' at Daniel's birthday party.
213	* RelationshipUpgrade: Ends up having this with [[spoiler: Edith.]]
214	* TheStoryteller: Her job, much to Daniel's initial confusion.
215
216	[[/folder]]
217
218	[[folder:Jonjo Aleef]]
219	!!Jonjo Aleef
220	->'''Played By: George Bukhari'''
221	Rosie's new boyfriend.
222
223	----
224
225	* FunPersonified: Doesn't seem to take too much seriously, in fact, in his first scene, he's chatting about his family and spraying a hose at Rosie.
226	[[/folder]]
227
228	!!Others
229
230	[[folder:Vivienne Rook]]
231	!!Vivienne Rook
232	->'''Played By: Creator/EmmaThompson'''
233	->"But I have got you listening, haven't I?"
234	A businesswoman who runs a political think tank. Starts to step onto the stage herself to become a far-right politician.
235
236	----
237	* BewareTheSillyOnes: Most people just laugh at her BrutalHonesty and use of the PrecisionFStrike. A lot of them aren't laughing when she [[spoiler:institutes concentration camps in the UK]].
238	* FamilyValuesVillain: Claims to be with her [[MoralGuardians ranting against pornography.]] Isn't.
239	* FromNobodyToNightmare: From an unknown panelist on Question Time who "doesn't give a fuck" about Israel and Palestine, to [[spoiler: prime minister of the UK, presiding over the introduction of ''concentration camps.'']]
240	* TheManBehindTheMan: When Stephen has a chance meeting with her in episode five, she expresses a desire to "sail away from all this.". Confused, he tells her that [[spoiler: she's the prime minister]] and can do what she wants. She simply chuckles and remarks, "They'd kill me."
241	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: As a businesswoman who becomes well-known for far-right statements and a willingness to employ as much shock value as possible, Rook has more than a few parallels with Katie Hopkins.
242	* OopNorth: Speaks with a particularly thick Mancunian accent.
243	* PowerHair: She has shorter blonde hair.
244	* SecretlyWealthy: It's not a secret as such, but she heavily downplays her wealth and privilege to seem like one of the people.
245	* TyrantTakesTheHelm: First when a hung parliament leaves the balance of power in her hands, then much more so in episode 6 when she [[spoiler:becomes Prime Minister]].
246	* VillainsOutShopping: Invoked by her television channel, where she is frequently shown learning how to dance and cook...in between dangerous political rants.
247	[[/folder]]
248
249	[[folder:Woody]]
250	!!Clive "Woody" Woodward
251	->'''Played By: Kieran O'Brien'''
252	->"I think I've found myself a monkey."
253	Stephen's [[{{Jerkass}} awful]] former school friend, now a fairly sucessful businessman running a property managment company, who he turns to out of desparation for a well-paid job.
254
255	----
256	* AssholeVictim: He's so awful it's virtually impossible to feel any sympathy towards him when he [[spoiler:[[TheDogBitesBack gets shot in the leg by Stephen]]]].
257	* ConspiracyTheorist: Believes the US nuclear attack on Hong Sha Dao was faked, and even goes so far as to force Stephen to pretend to agree with him as part of his job.
258	* CorruptCorporateExecutive: [[spoiler: Gleefully profits off a property maintenance contract for ''[[MoralEventHorizon freaking concentration camps]]'']]. 'Nuff said.
259	* HateSink: Woody is a thoroughly loathsome individual- a bullying, [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain misogynistic]] boor [[spoiler: who not only helps to operate the [[DeadlyEuphemism Erstwhile sites]] but is positively ''thrilled'' to win the government contract for doing so.]] He's almost certainly more detestable than Viv Rook.
260	* {{Jerkass}}: Delights in making the desperate Stephen become his [[YesMan Yes-Man]] and proceeds to mock him at every possible opportunity. Muriel's comments in Episode 6 suggest he's [[SchoolyardBullyAllGrownUp been like this since school]] as well.
261	* LackOfEmpathy: Has no qualms whatsoever over [[spoiler: helping to send (presumably) thousands of refugees and illegal immigrants to their deaths in the Erstwhile camps.]]
262	* LargeHam: Has a very loud and boisterous personality.
263	* MoreHateableMinorVillain: He's even worse than Vivienne Rook, despite being a slimy opportunist rather than [[spoiler:the actual mastermind behind the concentration camps. But he's a foul bigot and bully who [[LackOfEmpathy knows exactly what he's doing and doesn't care]], while Viv is strongly implied to be [[TheManBehindTheMan essentially a puppet]] who desperately wants to escape her 'strings' at this point in the story]].
264	* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Makes several disgustingly sexist comments about Celeste- as if [[spoiler: operating the Erstwhile sites]] wasn't already enough to qualify him for this.
265	* WalkingSpoiler: Difficult to discuss without mentioning [[spoiler: the true nature of the Erstwhile sites and Stephen's role in operating them.]]

Context Characters / YearsAndYears