Last Tango in Halifax cast explain the changes we can expect in the new series

From Good Housekeeping

Despite being a hit with fans, Last Tango in Halifax hasn’t aired on our screens since 2016 – until now, that is. Sally Wainwright has finally brought back the show for a four-part series starring old favourites Alan (Derek Jacobi), Celia (Anne Reid), Gillian (Nicola Walker) and Caroline (Sarah Lancashire).

In the time since we left the blended family, their relationships have shifted somewhat, as the cast explained to Goodhousekeeping.com/uk and other press ahead of the series airing.

While before, Alan was utterly taken with Celia, given he’d been holding a candle for her since they were teenagers, that seems to have worn off a little.

“In the beginning she always had the upper hand because he was still besotted when they first met and now, after seven years, he’s not quite so besotted,” Anne Reid explained.

“I think she’s the one who would die if he left her. I know she’s difficult but I think he holds the whip now,” she added.

Derek Jacobi agreed, referencing the fact Alan is determined to get himself a part-time job to keep busy, despite Celia’s disapproval.

“I think I’m on the turn. I need a little bit of my independence and can see flaws in her that I couldn’t see before, and can make my opinion known. It is an effort, I’m on thin ice with her all the time but I’m determined to make my case and be my own man,” he said.

Derek added he feels Alan has become a little bored in the relationship and wants to branch out.

“Getting a job, getting out, meeting other people helps,” he said.

The show's creator Sally Wainwright has said she wanted to ensure this new series puts Alan front and centre.

“I was trying to think of stories that would revolve around Alan for this series, because they should. The two big stories this series are all about Alan. For me Alan has always been the centre of sanity in a mad, mad world,” she said.

However, of course, it’s not all about just Alan and his changing relationship with Celia. Their daughters Gillian and Caroline are still key to Last Tango, and their thoughts on each other have changed somewhat, too.

While Caroline called Gillian “low-life, trailer-trash” in the first ever episode, her feelings towards her new sister figure have become much warmer.

“Gillian is a confidante for Caroline,” Sarah Lancashire explained. “They know things about each other that nobody else knows, that relationship has matured now and it’s become a close relationship,” she said.

Nicola Walker added:

“They’re at that stage now. We haven’t seen them for a few years but it’s really clear they’re very close now. They’ve become like step sisters.”

Last Tango in Halifax airs on Sunday 23 February at 9pm on BBC One.

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