Maxim Baldry tells us about his role in the new Russell T Davies dystopian family drama, life in Russia and having sex with Russell Tovey

Words Tim Heap Photography Markus Bidaux Styling Nick Byam

Maxim wears knitwear, by AMI, trousers, by Acne Studios at Matches Fashion

F rom the out-and-proud Queer as Folk 20 years ago to 2018’s A Very English Scandal, with Doctor Who, Cucumber and others in between, Russell T Davies has asserted himself as one of the UK’s finest modern-day queer creatfive voices.

Next month, his latest project, Years and Years, arrfives on the BBC, presenting Russell’s vision of what could unfold over the next 15 years, shown through the eyes of a family from Manchester.

Joining the show’s cast, which includes Emma Thompson, as a firebrand, wannabe politician, Rory Kinnear and Russell Tovey, is 23-year-old Maxim Baldry, as gay Ukrainian refugee Viktor, who arrfives in Manchester seeking asylum.

Best known in recent years for playing Liam Donovan in Hollyoaks (but you may remember an 11-year-old Maxim in Mr Bean’s Holiday), he admits he felt like an underdog appearing alongside such a stellar cast. Having seen a very rough cut of the first episode — more than Maxim and the rest of the cast have done when I speak to him — I assure him he more than holds his own.

One of his first questions is about how much of the sex scene between him and Russell Tovey made the cut. Queer as Folk and Cucumber both found a home on the more liberal Channel 4, so apparently there were worries over how the Beeb would recefive some of the elements in Years and Years — but he’s happy when I tell him that the illicit, trailer-park tryst has a fair showing.