Russell T Davies: It was a dream come true to cast Emma Thompson

ussell T Davies says it was a "dream come true" to cast Dame Emma Thompson in \'Years and Years\'.

The 59-year-old actress will play Prime Minister Vivienne Rook, who is described as a mix between the former Mayor of London Boris Johnson and leader of the Brexit Party Nigel Farage, who users her celebrity and social media to gain popularity.

The former \'Doctor Who\' screenwriter has revealed he took inspiration from real-life politicians for the new series, and said he felt it was important to show the "new breed" of politicians out there who are doing everything they can to be popular.

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Speaking at the Radio Times BFI Festival, he said: "She\'s using all those tricks that modern politicians do.

"The inspiration was all around me. I think it\'s time to take these people seriously, really.

"There\'s a whole new breed of politician who uses the media and uses public opinion and social media to become popular and to get votes."

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Davies says the fact that it\'s a female politician gives the show a "complete new energy"

He continued: "There\'s a bit of (Boris) Johnson in there, there\'s a bit of (Nigel) Farage in there, but her being a woman gives it completely a new energy.

"She knows how to talk nonsense, when to tell the truth, she knows how to get a vote, she\'s looming over the whole thing.

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"Our lives are full of those people now and they\'re terrifying and fascinating at the same time."

Davies is honoured to have Thompson in the leading role.

He added: "Emma Thompson, you don\'t just see her on television, and to cast her was a dream come true."

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The \'Love Actually\' star will be joined by Anne Reid, Russell Tovey and Rory Kinnear in the saga, which is set in the future, something which Davies admitted was challenging with Brexit.

He said: "We are working so fast to get this transmitted. Thank you to BBC for showing it so fast. Episode one is the only one finished so far so we\'re racing to get it.

"Because of the world. Because of the state of the world. I\'ve been very nimble with it. Because it\'s set five years in the future, I kind of refer to anything Brexity in the past."

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The first episode of \'Years and Years\' will air on BBC One in May.