‘I was gutted by the Peaky Blinders film but I’m going to watch the new series’ | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV

Peaky Blinders is making a comeback with a new generation of Shelbys – and I couldn’t be more excited.

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man

Like countless Peaky Blinders devotees, I was left heartbroken as the credits rolled on The Immortal Man and we finally laid Tommy Shelby (played by Cillian Murphy) to rest. After witnessing the ruthless head of the Peaky Blinders cheat death on numerous occasions, it felt jarring to see him buried and achieving the tranquillity he’d craved for so long, reports the Mirror.

Tommy’s death was logical from a narrative perspective and it was creator Steven Knight’s intention to eliminate all of the present generation of Shelbys, but it was a difficult moment to accept as we said goodbye to characters we’ve followed and cherished for over a decade.

The film itself was hardly flawless with its hasty plot and absence of character development. A seventh series of Peaky Blinders would have been far more effective, however, that’s all behind us now.

Knight is currently occupied with his next instalment of the Peaky Blinders and despite the criticism directed at the film, I’m genuinely enthusiastic.

Certainly, we won’t have Murphy any longer with his legendary and unmatchable portrayal of Tommy Shelby – I’m persuaded he secured his Oscar due to all the undercover Peaky Blinders admirers on the Academy voting panel and not solely his remarkable performance in Christopher Nolan’s biographical masterpiece Oppenheimer – but we’ll be receiving original stories with new intricate characters.

It’s worth noting that, much like Line of Duty and The Fall, Peaky Blinders began quietly enough on BBC Two in 2013, before snowballing into the global phenomenon it is today, in no small part due to the rise of streaming platforms such as Netflix. Right up until season four, it continued to air on BBC Two before receiving its long-overdue promotion to BBC One.

Much like Tommy’s own journey, Peaky Blinders has travelled a considerable distance from its modest beginnings as a period drama with a contemporary soundtrack in a midweek evening slot, to one of the most talked-about shows on television today.

It’s safe to say there’s every reason to have faith in Knight to deliver another gripping series. One need only consider his role as the creative force behind Taboo, SAS Rogue Heroes, and Netflix’s House of Guinness. He has adapted the WWII novel All the Light We Cannot See, offered his expletive-laden interpretation of Charles Dickens, ventured into Black Mirror territory with Hollywood film Serenity, helped launch streaming platform Apple TV+ with his dystopian drama See, and even written the Princess Diana film Spencer.

Even setting aside his remarkable CV, this is a deeply personal story for Knight, extending well beyond Peaky Blinders fans. The show sits firmly at the core of Knight’s work. A proud Birmingham native, born and bred, he sought to — in his own words — “beat the drum” for the city, drawing on childhood tales of sharp-suited men with razor blades sewn into the peaks of their flat caps.

Rest assured, Peaky Blinders remains in capable hands with its original creator at the helm, and the series will continue to deliver gripping new storylines. This time set in the 1950s, featuring Jamie Bell (who takes over from Barry Keoghan as Duke Shelby in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man), Stranger Things’ Charlie Heaton, Downton Abbey’s Jessica Brown-Findlay, and No Time to Die actress Lashana Lynch.

Had the show continued with Tommy and company, the narratives would have become stale and increasingly far-fetched. Judging by Helen McCrory’s formidable Aunt Polly and Sophie Rundle’s astute Ada, fans can anticipate powerful female characters alongside nail-biting drama packed with unexpected twists that nobody could have predicted.

The political landscape of this new era promises to be riveting, particularly following the Oswald Mosley (Sam Claflin) fascist plotline, the shifting social attitudes across Britain in a post-WWII setting, and the question of how the Shelbys will further expand their grip on power and influence.

So while it may not be the Peaky Blinders we originally fell for, it is absolutely worth tuning in to when it eventually graces our screens, most likely in its coveted prime-time slot.

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is streaming on Netflix now