Steven Knight, the creator of Peaky Blinders, has been teasing the fifth series of his Brummy crime show, as well as hinting at the series’ final end. Recent rumblings suggest that Peaky Blinders will run for a total of seven series, before wrapping things up for good.
“We are going into the 30s now”, Knight said of series 5 to Birmingham Live. “There is so much stuff happening, so why not finish the job?”
Teasing what future plotlines may entail, Knight added, “In the 30s across Europe and Britain there was the rise of fascism.” It should be interesting to see the Shelby boys, and all their rivals, coming up against the resurgence of such deadly ideologies.
And as for how the show will ultimately end, Knight said this:
“In my mind it ends first air raid siren in the Second World War. My mom told a story about the air raid siren going off and her mom coming in, pulling the blankets off, and saying ‘ come on, the buggers are here’.”
That certainly sounds like a story that could be lifted from real life and plonked directly in the Peaky Blinders universe, perhaps with Helen McCrory’s Polly taking the place of Knight’s grandmother.
Knight deflected a few questions about whether certain characters are actually dead, including Tom Hardy’s Alfie Solomons (“Pass”, said Knight) and Annabelle Wallis’ Grace (“I am not going to answer”).
When asked if the show could ever go for a whole season without an appearance from Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby, Knight offered this intriguing response:
“I would think about it – we are bringing through the new generation – but I don’t contemplate it.”
Knight also confirmed that production on Peaky Blinders series 5 will kick off in autumn 2018. We’ll be sure to keep you in the loop as we hear more.