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“But as I stand here and I look at my firstborn with her sisters, I weep not for the bulbs that did not bloom. For I can look at my daughters and say, ‘These are my lilies.’”
For eight short, beautiful weeks early in 2007, a unique, touching and engaging period drama graced our screens. Lilies tells the story of a working class family living in Liverpool following the First World War, as they overcome great losses and attempt forge new lives for themselves while holding onto each other and the values they hold dear.
The lilies of the title are the daughters of the Moss family. The eldest is quiet Iris (Catherine Tyldesley), who struggles to balance caring for the family with her devotion to her Catholic faith. Next comes May (Leanne Rowe) whose work as a maid in a big house allows her some distance and perspective on family matters, but she also finds herself seduced by the glamorous lifestyle she sees there. Finally there is Ruby (Kerrie Hayes), the youngest and most fiery of the daughters, who longs for things to return to how they were before the war. Rounding off the children is Billy (Daniel Rigby), whose experiences as a sailor in the war, which caused him to be invalided out with nerves, continue to haunt him. At the head of the family is Dadda (Brian McCardie), a passionate Northern Irish man with a gilded tongue and a horrible violent streak.
The fact that, unlike many period dramas, Lilies isn’t based on a famous book works to its advantage, as you never know quite what’s going to happen next. Screenwriter Heidi Thomas breathes real life into these characters: as the storylines develop, the twists and turns are often surprising, but the behaviour and reactions of the various members of the Moss family never feel false or out of character. At the same time, these are people that you want to spend time with, as they’re funny, smart and charming, which is exactly what you’d expect from the woman who would later bring the delightful Cranford to our screens. The script deftly walks the line between accuracy and lyricism: Dadda in particular has a magnificent way with words, and some of his speeches are absolute poetry.
The whole series looks lovely without ever sanitising this world, and the score is simple but beautiful: the repeated refrain that occurs around Iris and Father Melia is particularly memorable. But what makes the whole thing sing is the acting. Tyldesley, Rowe and Hayes are believable as sisters without being clones of each other, while Rigby (who was so good recently in Eric and Ernie) works as both a supporting and main character when required. Of the supporting cast, Thomas writes Father Melia as a young man caught between the church and serving his community, and Scot Williams brings real humanity to the role. But the stand-out performance is Brian McCardie as Dadda: the character could so easily be an unlikeable caricature, but McCardie brings such charisma and spirit to the role that he’s compelling even during his most appalling behaviour.
Despite its poor time slot, over the eight weeks Lilies garnered a sizeable and loyal fan base, and the creators of the programme were keen to make another series, but inexplicably the BBC declined. Four years later, it’s a decision that I can’t fathom, and one that still makes me angrier than is entirely rational. But then that's because this was a special series. At times heartbreaking, at times brutal, but never anything less than compelling: to slightly mangle the words of Father Melia, Lilies is one of the finest programmes I have ever known, and I will always remember it with joy.
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