The Street, Jimmy McGovern’s much-acclaimed drama about the lives of people who live on the same street in the North West of England, is returning to BBC One for a third series.
McGovern has written the first and sixth episodes, with others being helmed by up-and-coming writers he’s mentored.
Timothy Spall is set to return as cab driver Eddie, other notable guest stars include Bob Hoskins who plays publican and reformed alcoholic Paddy Gargan in the first episode, Anna Friel and Ruth Jones.
The writer says the show works “because it tells truthful, yet extraordinary stories about ordinary people. All the stories are about heart and humanity. Viewers can relate to these characters – we can all put ourselves in their shoes and think, ‘there but the grace of God, go I’.”
Sita Williams, Executive Producer for ITV Studios who make the show, adds: “There’s a real hunger for stories that people can connect with. Viewers are desperate to get away from glossy, make-believe drama. I think audiences want to be able to identify with people’s moral dilemmas. There’s a genuine appetite for that kind of thought-provoking, substantial drama.”
“The three most important elements in any drama are the script, the script and the script. Jimmy is such a brilliant writer. He’s the most modest writer I know and would hate to be compared to the greats of literature. But, like them, he deals with the major problems of what it is to be a human being. He reflects on the human condition in the most gripping way.
“If you don’t have a script, you’re nowhere. You can try to paper over the cracks, but viewers are not stupid – they always notice. For instance, you can try and cover up your script by putting loud music over it. But when there’s a loud soundtrack, I always think, ‘shut up, let me hear the words!’ The script has to work on its own merits. You can get seduced by music, but Jimmy’s words always work on their own.”
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