This City Is Ours star James Nelson-Joyce names Line of Duty's Daniel Mays for a future cameo

BBC crime drama This City Is Ours returned on Sunday (25 October) as the story of the Phelan gang continued, with Michael and Diana soon being thrust back into the heat of the battle after jetting off to the Mediterranean.

With the follow-up episode set to air tonight, it remains to be seen how the couple - played by James Nelson-Joyce and Hannah Onslow respectively - react to the drama that's happening in the criminal underworld.

The new season boasts a couple of fresh faces as Shaun Evans and Álvaro Morte have joined the cast, but Nelson-Joyce has expressed hope that one actor from Line of Duty could eventually make an appearance.

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Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy alongside Onslow, Nelson-Joyce was asked which actor he would like to appear alongside, to which he responded: "You've put me on the spot here, because there's a lot of people that I will upset."

"So many people have messaged me going 'I want to be in this', but [I would pick] Daniel Mays," he added, while Onslow thought that Anne-Marie Duff would be a "great" counterbalance to Julie Graham's Elaine Phelan.

We won't yet know if either Duff or Mays could appear, but the latter threw his hat in the ring as he joked on Instagram: "Does this mean you’ll want 12.5% of the fee @jamesnelsonjoyce? 🤣 Luv ya bro."

Several fans of the series seemed to agree with Nelson-Joyce's suggestion, with one follower commenting that Mays - who played Danny Waldron in the third season of Line of Duty - would be "perfect" for the crime drama.

Despite only returning at the weekend, the future of This City Is Ours is secure for the time being, with the BBC confirming last week that the popular crime drama had already been renewed for a third season.

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"Following the quite breathtaking response to [season] one, myself, the cast and our wonderful crew were all determined not to drop the ball and endeavour to deliver an even better [season] two!," said writer and creator Stephen Butchard.

"No spoilers, but I'm hoping this fantastic early commission from the BBC for a third [season] is an indication that we may have come close to doing just that! Many, many thanks to Lindsay Salt, Jo McClellan and all at BBC Drama for their never-ending support."

"And of course, sincere thanks to all who have watched, embraced and spread the word. I hope you enjoy [season] two as much as we enjoyed making it — can't wait to do it all over again!" he added.

This City Is Ours airs on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer.

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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media.  His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
 

Freelance film & TV writer, Digital Spy
Critic and writer Jo Berry has been writing about TV and movies since she began her career at Time Out aged 18. A regular on BBC Radio, Jo has written for titles including Empire, Maxim, Radio Times, OK!, The Guardian and Grazia, is the author of books including Chick Flicks and The Parents’ Guide to Kids’ Movies. 

She is also the editor of website Movies4Kids. In her career, Jo has interviewed well-known names including Beyonce, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Kiefer Sutherland, Tom Cruise and all the Avengers, spent many an hour crushed in the press areas of award show red carpets. Jo is also a self-proclaimed expert on Outlander and Brassic, and completely agrees that Die Hard is a Christmas movie.