Davies explicitly drew the premise from the 2016 Trump election and Brexit, stating politics now concerns “identity at stake” and implementing an inclusivity casting policy after working with disabled actress Ruth Madeley as Rosie Lyons (spina bifida). The Lyons family features an interracial marriage (Stephen and Black accountant Celeste), gay protagonist Daniel whose romance with Ukrainian refugee Viktor drives multiple episodes, and activist Edith.

Vivienne Rook (Emma Thompson), a populist modeled on Trump/Farage/Le Pen composites, rises by dismissing conflicts with “I don’t give a fuck,” wins power, erects refugee camps, and is opposed by the family’s resistance framed as moral. Bethany’s arc opens with parents assuming “trans” means transgender before clarifying transhumanism.

Episodes depict economic collapse, nuclear threats, and matriarch Muriel blaming the family for “the banks, the recession, America, Mrs. Rook.” Davies interviews emphasize exclusion from 1960s TV and deliberate diversity; critics note it checks every progressive box while audience and conservative reviews label it overt liberal messaging. The dystopian premise collapses without the systemic-oppression and anti-populist narrative.