'Last Tango in Halifax' returns June 29 on PBS
After seeing series 1 of Sally Wainwright’s Last Tango in Halifax, I’m convinced that if you looked up the words ‘family baggage’ in the dictionary, you’d see a cast photo. A stellar cast, btw. Headed up by Derek Jacobi and Anne Reid, Last Tango in Halifax also stars Sarah Lancashire and Nicola Walker star as Caroline and Gillian, the respective daughters of Celia and Alan.
With series 2 getting ready to premiere on PBS beginning June 29, you won’t be able to tell the players without a scorecard so how about a quick series 1 recap. Celia (Anne Reid) and Alan (Derek Jacobi) are both widowed and in their seventies. While they were attracted to each other as teenagers, they really never expressed their feelings for one another. Through the magic that is Facebook, Alan and Celia are reunited and pick up right where they left off some 50+ years ago. Wainwright, who also created and wrote the brilliant Scott and Bailey, has said, on numerous occasions, that she based much of the series on her own personal experiences with her mother, Dorothy, actually reconnecting on Friends United with a childhood friend Alec, ultimately marrying. Thankfully, that’s about where the real-life similarities end and the writer’s embellishment family baggage storylines kick in.
In Season 2, the six-part series returns as Alan and Celia continue to navigate through the inevitable family baggage to plan a life together. Having come so close to losing each other forever thanks to Alan’s near fatal heart attack, he and Celia decide to have a romantic secret wedding as soon as possible.
The uptight Caroline and rebellious Gillian are discovering they actually quite like each other, however Gillian’s need to own up to her night with Caroline’s ex-husband John could jeopardize the soon-to-be stepsisters’ fledgling friendship. As secrets from the past come tumbling out and family members adjust to changing relationships, can Alan and Celia find the long-awaited happiness they deserve?
It’s going to be a great night of telly on PBS on June 29. Following the series 2 premiere of Last Tango in Halifax, it’s the return of Endeavour for a second series and then you can see a whole different side of Derek Jacobi and the premiere of Vicious. More on both of these soon….
