This City Is Ours airs on BBC One, delving into the gritty gang through the eyes of criminal Michael Kavanagh (played by James Nelson-Joyce) and his romantic entanglement with Diana Williams (Hannah Onslow).

James Nelson-Joyce hails from a working-class family in Liverpool and entered his mid-30s discussing his educational struggles, specifically leaving school without qualifications before realising his dyslexia.

Recounting his foray into acting to YMLiverpool.com, he admitted: "It was a bit of luck really. I was just a normal kid, playing football and that."

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

His initial motivation stemmed from youthful affection as he revealed: "I fancied my English teacher and the only way I could get her attention was by putting on an accent when she'd ask someone to read aloud in class."

Despite his literacy challenges, he remarked: "I didn't know at the time that I was dyslexic and I felt uncomfortable reading, but I did it just to show off."

Credit goes to the same English teacher who saw his prowess in acting and urged him to attend The City of Liverpool College.

Nelson-Joyce's first prominent part, from 2017, showcased him as teenage hoodlum James Yates in .

He later grabbed roles in The Outlaws and Time - where he plays Ronnie, the gang boss, opposite Sean Bean in This City Is Ours.

Sharing the screen in Time with Stephen Graham, another esteemed actor, James recounted a serendipitous Nando's encounter with Stephen, which proved to be transformative. Speaking to Liverpool Echo, he conveyed: "I went over and said 'I'm a big fan, I've just left drama school and you've been really inspiring'.

"He was with his wife and I thought I better leave them to it. His wife came back over to me and went 'here's my email let me know when you're in stuff and we'll watch out for you'."

Years later, James had another encounter with the celebrity when they both appeared in Little Boy Blue.

Reflecting on that moment, he shared: "Three years later when we sat down for the read through of Little Boy Blue, Stephen was just looking at me and he mouthed 'you're that lad from Nando's'."

James also recalled the silent compliment from the star: "He mouthed to me 'boss that lad', and put his thumbs up."

Stephen took time during the shoot to have a heart-to-heart with James, urging him to go for more significant parts and even introduced him to his agent.

In his private life, James seems to be romantically linked with jazz singer Olivia Frances Brown. She is a regular at premieres with him, and his presence is notable on her feed.

This City Is Ours airs on BBC One on March 23 at 9pm