First look at Peaky Blinders creator’s gripping new drama A Thousand Blows – as Line of Duty star transforms
DISNEY has just released the first look at the gripping new series, A Thousand Blows.
The drama was created by Steven Knight CBE, who was the genius behind BBC smash hit, Peaky Blinders.
Now the screenwriter has a new show coming to Disney+, and fans are going to be in for a treat.
The new drama is set in Victorian London within the ‘perilous world of illegal boxing‘.
In 2022, Line Of Duty star Stephen Graham played the role of Hayden Stagg in Peaky Blinders.
Now he is reuniting with the creator to play boxer Sugar Goodson, and first-look images show the determined character.
He plays a seasoned and ‘dangerous’ boxer who is seen to be preparing for an important match.
Alongside him, Malachi Kirby and The Crown’s Erin Doherty are also set to play major roles.
The new snaps show Malachi in character, Hezekiah Moscow, dressed in period Victorian clothing.
He also sports cuts and bruises on his face as he is thrust into ‘the vibrant and violent melting pot of post-industrial revolution London’s East End from Jamaica’.
The series will follow the pair as they become locked into an intense rivalry that goes past the ring.
Elsewhere, Doherty’s character Mary Carr is the leader of a notorious all-female London gang called the Forty Elephants.
In the pictures, she could be seen resting on the ropes by the edge of a boxing ring as the group battles for survival on the streets.
The drama is not set to be released on the global streamer until next year, but a second series seems to have already been given the go-ahead.
Steven previously couldn’t help but gush about the series as he admitted: “The love and care that went into this thrilling production is evident on screen from the first moment.
“What makes the story we tell all the more compelling is that it is based on the lives of real people who lived extraordinary lives in extraordinary times.”
Peaky Blinders cast
Who was in the cast of the BAFTA and NTA winning series?
- Cillian Murphy – Thomas “Tommy” Shelby
- Sam Neill – Chief Inspector/Major Chester Campbell (series 1 and 2)
- Helen McCrory – Elizabeth Pollyanna “Polly” Gray (series 1–5)
- Paul Anderson – Arthur Shelby Jr
- Annabelle Wallis – Grace Shelby (series 1–3 and 5)
- Iddo Goldberg – Freddie Thorne (series 1)
- Sophie Rundle – Ada Thorne, née Shelby
- Joe Cole – John “Johnny” Shelby (series 1–4)
- Ned Dennehy – Charlie Strong
- Benjamin Zephaniah – Jeremiah ‘Jimmy’ Jesus
- David Dawson – Roberts (series 1)
- Charlie Creed-Miles – Billy Kimber (series 1)
- Tommy Flanagan – Arthur Shelby Sr. (series 1)
- Noah Taylor – Darby Sabini (series 2)
- Tom Hardy – Alfred “Alfie” Solomons (series 2–6)
- Charlotte Riley – May Fitz Carleton (series 2 and 4)
- Finn Cole – Michael Gray (series 2–6)
- Natasha O’Keeffe – Elizabeth “Lizzie” Shelby, née Stark (series 2–6)
- Aimee-Ffion Edwards – Esme Shelby-Lee
- Gaite Jansen – Princess Tatiana Petrovna (series 3)
- Alexander Siddig – Ruben Oliver (series 3)
- Packy Lee – Johnny Dogs
- Jan Bijvoet – Arch Duke Leon Romanov (series 3)
- Dina Korzun – Grand Duchess Izabella Petrovna (series 3)
- Paddy Considine – Father John Hughes (series 3)
- Kate Phillips – Linda Shelby (series 3–6)
- Charlie Murphy – Jessie Eden (series 4 and 5)
- Adrien Brody – Luca Changretta (series 4)
- Ian Peck – Curly
- Jack Rowan – Bonnie Gold (series 4 and 5)
- Aidan Gillen – Aberama Gold (series 4 and 5)
- Anya Taylor-Joy as Gina Gray (series 5 and 6)
- Kingsley Ben-Adir – Colonel Ben Younger (series 4 and five)
- Sam Claflin – Sir Oswald Mosley (series 5–6)
- Brian Gleeson – Jimmy McCavern (series 5)
- Kate Dickie – Mother Superior (series 5)
- Andrew Koji – Brilliant Chang (series 5)
- Cosmo Jarvis – Barney Thomason (series 5)
- Charlene McKenna – Laura McKee/ Captain Swing (series 5 and 6)
- Pauline Turner – Frances (series 4–6)
- Amber Anderson – Lady Diana Mitford (series 6)
- James Frecheville – Jack Nelson (series 6)
- Stephen Graham – Hayden Stagg (series 6)
- Conrad Khan – Erasmus “Duke” Shelby (series 6)
- Emmett J. Scanlan – Billy Grade (series 5 and 6)
Multiple actors as one role
- The role of Winston Churchill was played by Andy Nyman (series 1), Richard McCabe (recurring series 2), and Neil Maskell (series 5–6).
- Finn Shelby was played by Alfie Evans-Meese (series 1) and Harry Kirton (series 2–6)
- Isiah Jesus was played by Jordan Bolger (series 2–4) and Daryl McCormack (series 6)
It turns out that Stephen Graham himself came up with the idea for the show.
He previously told RadioTimes: “He contacted me and said, ‘Would you write an hour on this?’ I said, ‘Alright then.’ Then it got picked up and it’s all in production now.”
Other names in the cast include Small Axe star Francis Lovehall, who will play Hezekiah’s best friend Alec Munroe.
Warrior actor Jason Tobin will play the role of Mr Lao, and James Nelson-Joyce will star as Edward ‘Treacle’ Goodson.
Members of the all girl gang will include Boiling Point’s Hannah Walters – who is married to Stephen Graham – and Industry star Caoilfhionn Dunne, who will play the role of Anne Glover.
The Forty Elephants is also comprised of Alice Diamond, Nadia Albina, Morgan Hilaire, Jemma Carlton, and Brassic‘s Darci Shaw.
A Thousand Blows will be available to watch on Disney+ next year.