The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)

LAST OUTING FOR MY PEAKY BLINDERS BUT NO MR BEAN!

As the popular BBC crime drama returns to our screens for a sixth and final series, Danielle de Wolfe learns more

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If Peaky Blinders had to be summarised in a single word, that word would be “chaotic” – or so says actress Sophie Rundle. Ahead of the launch of the sixth and final series of the Bafta-award-winning BBC crime drama, the 34-year-old, who plays Shelby sibling Ada Thorne in the show, stifles a laugh at some of the more obscure internet hearsay linked to the forthcomin­g series. “Mr Bean in the Peaky Blinders world? I mean, that’s a cameo I think we all want to see,” declares Rundle, referencin­g one notable rumour from late 2020 which saw Rowan Atkinson purportedl­y entering the show as Adolf Hitler.

Speculatio­n that caused a fan furore and resulted in a rapid and categorica­l denial from a Peaky Blinders’ spokespers­on. It is one example of the Peaky fanbase’s appetite for new material. And now, nearly two and a half years since the last series aired, the show’s loyal followers are once again champing at the bit ahead of the sixth and final instalment.

“By virtue of the Instagram algorithm, I sometimes see the fan art and content people have generated off the back of watching the show – that’s just my favourite thing about being part of Peaky Blinders,” says Rundle. “This work generates new work and enjoyment and pleasure. People really do love this world – and that inspires them to generate their own content off the back of it and I love that.”

Our chat comes as the show’s creator, Steven Knight, unveiled a striking 42-foothigh mural of the series’ gang leader, Tommy Shelby, on the side of the Old Crown pub in Digbeth, Birmingham. Formerly an industrial neighbourh­ood where the term “Peaky Blinder” was first coined, the show is loosely based on a gang of the same name who were active in the city for about two decades during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

“It’s been an amazing journey,” says Knight, speaking from beneath the mural. “The thing has snowballed and, even now, more and more people are discoverin­g it, which is the great thing about streaming – it doesn’t have its day and disappear.”

And disappear it will not, as the Shelbys are set to make their stage debut as part of the upcoming stage adaptation, Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby. Not only that, but Knight has previously noted his

desire to transfer the Peaky Blinders’ tale on to the big screen. “Peaky – in this incarnatio­n – comes to an end,” says Knight, “but we’re doing a film which will also carry on the family and the stories into the Second World War.”

The final series is accompanie­d by a distinct and undeniably sombre undertone.

Describing the “challenge” of continuing the Peaky Blinders’ story following the death of actress Helen Mccrory during shooting, the writer says he “knew that she would have wanted (it) to continue”.

“The loss of such an incredible human being is the main thing. The loss of such an incredible performer is awful,” adds Knight.

Mccrory, who played Shelby family matriarch Polly Gray in the hit BBC One show,

died from cancer last April, aged 52. Starring in the Harry Potter franchise and wife of Homeland actor, Damien Lewis, Mccrory was

“right at the heart” of the Peaky Blinders tale according to Knight. “There are three central characters – she was one of them.”

It’s a sentiment shared by fellow actor, Cillian Murphy, in a recent interview with Variety, as he described the cast and crew’s “determinat­ion” to make this a “special series”.

“I think the whole series is really in tribute to her and to honour her,” says Murphy. “Her presence and her character’s presence are very much still felt in the series, and it is very much part of Tommy’s journey in the season.”

A series that’s also set to star Line Of Duty actor, Stephen Graham, Knight described the Liverpudli­an star as one of the show’s shining

lights, adding: “I really wanted to use him as a character and there was a particular Scouse character that becomes part of the story – and who else would you cast?”

As for the lasting legacy of Peaky Blinders, Rundle says part of the show’s appeal remains its ability to highlight the grittier side of history.

“It’s not all just tea parties and corsets,” says the actress, reflecting on the working class narrative Peaky Blinders is built upon.

“It’s just people, you know? It’s fun, and you can have fun with it – and that’s what Peaky has always done.”

Peaky Blinders Series 6 starts February 27 on BBC One.

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 ?? ?? RETURNING: Cillian Murphy is back in the sixth and final series of BBC crime
RETURNING: Cillian Murphy is back in the sixth and final series of BBC crime
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Peaky Blinders is loosely based on a Birmingham gang of the same name.
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drama Peaky Blinders.

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