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Movies & TV

09th Apr 2019

Peaky Blinders creator hints at a big change for Tommy Shelby over the next three seasons

Paul Moore

Peaky Blinders

Seasons 5, 6, and 7 are coming.

With titles like Killing Eve, Game of Thrones, and Stranger Things all set to return in 2019, it’s easy to forget that a certain gangster and his ‘red right hand’ will be returning at the end of the year.

Oh yes, he might be spending more time in the House of Commons than Small Heath but Tommy Shelby will be returning in Season 5 of Peaky Blinders.

In a previous interview, the show’s creator, Steven Knight said that the upcoming episodes are “on another level” and “fantastic” and the general consensus is that the fifth season of the beloved drama will be the best one yet – something that Helen McCrory (Aunt Polly) said to Cillian Murphy when they first read the scripts.

There are so many reasons why Knight’s show has proven to be a global sensation, but the journey of Tommy has always been central to the plot.

When we first meet Tommy, he’s a fiercely ambitious gangster struggling to come to terms with his PTSD from World War I. However, there are so many facets to his character that continue to intrigue.

For example, he’s violent, methodical, intelligent, evasive, loyal, brave, ambitious, romantic, cold, and utterly compelling.

A gangster that became a politician. A factory owner that once had Communist sympathies. A proud gypsy that lives in a mansion.

It’s possible that nobody will ever truly understand Tommy and that’s why he’s so interesting.

Tommy’s arc has been constantly subject to change and on that note, Steven Knight says that by the end of the show, Cillian Murphy’s character will undergo some dramatic changes.

In an interview with Variety, Knight said: “Season 7 will tell a different story, where Tommy Shelby – who begins as this nihilistic, looking-out only for his family person – will be redeemed, and he will become good. I want to take him on that journey from the person we saw [in Season 1], to the person he will become in 1939.”

As for a premiere date for Season 5, the BBC haven’t confirmed an official date yet but Harry Kirton (Finn) has previously said: “Peaky is probably coming out at the other end of this year. So, September/October time. I’m very excited and you should be to. Finn has to grow up (in the new) season.”

We can’t wait.

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