Dust off those three-piece suits and flat caps – the sixth series of Peaky Blinders is almost here. With the previous series finale airing all the way back in 2019 and production being thrown into chaos by the pandemic, this return to the world of Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby and his Brummie gangster family has been a long time coming, but the wait is nearly over – the final small-screen run of Steven Knight’s hit show now has a confirmed start date, with the first episode airing at 9pm on Sunday 27 February on BBC One.
The series will have six episodes in total, airing weekly from 27 Feb onwards, and from the looks of the trailer, will feature all the darkness, drama and violence that we’ve come to expect from the show. This season will revolve around Tommy’s continued war against Sam Claflin’s fascist politician Oswald Mosley, as well as introducing a new character played by one of Britain’s finest (and Boiling Point star), Stephen Graham. The starry list of returning cast members includes Paul Anderson as brother Arthur Shelby, Finn Cole as Michael, and Sophie Rundle as sister Ava, plus Tom Hardy and Anya Taylor-Joy. After the sad news of Helen McCrory’s death last year, the fate of her character Aunt Polly is unclear.
Though this is the end of the Shelby saga on the small screen, their story isn’t over. In an exclusive interview with Empire, Knight said he sees this sixth series “as the end of the beginning”, and there are plans for a cinematic continuation that will “go into and beyond the Second World War.” So, fear not – one of the biggest British shows this century won’t be gone for good just yet.