Power Play

Brian Cox returns as the head of a family-owned media empire

- Adam Tanswell

Ageing media mogul Logan Roy (Brian Cox) and his rich, entitled and self-obsessed adult children are back for more power games, backstabbing and scathing put-downs in the second season of Sky Atlantic’s satirical comedy-drama Succession, which returns to our screens this week.

The BAFTA-winning first season ended in dramatic fashion, with Logan’s ambitious second son Kendall (Jeremy Strong), a recovering drug addict, taking cocaine at his sister’s wedding and accidentally killing a waiter. Kendall was then forced to turn to his father, whom he had earlier tried to dethrone, to cover up his crime.

As the new series begins, the clan are trying to keep control of WayStar Royco, their global empire, while pretending to the rest of the world that they are one big, happy family.

The Thick of It writer Jesse Armstrong is back as Succession’s showrunner, while also returning is Kieran Culkin as Logan’s arrogant youngest son Roman, Alan Ruck as his New Age-leaning eldest son Connor, Sarah Snook as his cutthroat daughter Shiv and Spooks’ Matthew Macfadyen as her doltish husband Tom.

Here, Scottish actor Cox, 73, tells us more about playing the tough and wily media baron...