This article contains spoilers for season five of Peaky Blinders.
By order of the Peaky Blinders, a season six (and seven) of BBC’s series, Peaky Blinders was confirmed in 2020. Now, fans are eagerly awaiting the release of season six.
The TV series, which first aired in 2013, is going to be its “best yet”, according to creator Steven Knight.
In an interview with BBC, after he became a CBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours in January, recognised for services to drama, entertainment and the community in Birmingham, the show runner revealed that he had just finished writing series six “and it’s the best yet, but we always say that.”
Back in 2018, in another interview with the BBC, Knight also announced that another season was in the works.
“We are definitely doing [series] six and we will probably do seven,” he later said. “After series four it went mad. “We’ve talked to [lead actor] Cillian Murphy and he’s all for it, and the rest of the principal cast are in for it.”
Knight created Peaky Blinders based on stories of his parents’ upbringing in Birmingham in the 1920s and has solid success for its first five seasons.
Season five ended on a brutal cliffhanger which left Tommy Shelby’s fate up in the air — so, what’s next?
Here’s what we know about season six of Peaky Blinders.
When Will Peaky Blinders Season 6 Air?
For those asking will there be a season 6 of Peaky Blinders, you’re in for some good news. According to The News, filming for season six has wrapped and the show is likely to air by late 2021 or early 2022.
In the same interview above, Byrne said that the season was supposed to be completed by the end of 2020, however, due to the global coronavirus pandemic, it was put on hold.
What Is Season 6 About?
In 2018, after winning a BAFTA for Best Drama Series, Knight said that his “ambition is to make it a story of a family between two wars.”
“So I’ve wanted to end it with the first air raid siren in Birmingham in 1939. It’ll take three more series to reach that point,” he said.
“In my mind, this story is the story between two wars. The end of the chapter of these people’s lives and this society is when the Second World War begins. Because it all changes after that, after the demolitions and the council estates, it’s a different world.”
So, if this is all to come then both the next two seasons will need to get us to 1939.
Director Anthony Byrne said in an interview with Digital Spy back in June, that season six will pick up where season five left off.
“The very first image you will see will be back in that field, with Tommy with a gun to his head and then we will move on from there and resolve that amazing moment,” he said.
Last season, Tommy’s desired plan to assassinate MP Oswald Mosley (Sam Claflin) did not come to fruition. Aberama Gold (Aidan Gillen) met an untimely death by stabbing, Polly Gray (Helen McCroy) resigned from Shelby Company Ltd (gasp!) and the season ended with Tommy holding a gun to his own head.
Will Helen McCrory Be in Peaky Blinders Season 6?
Helen McCrory passed away in April at the age of 52 after a battle with cancer. She played the iconic Aunt Polly, and due to the series being filmed at the time of her death, it is unclear how she will fit in and how they will handle the immense loss.
According to her friend and director, Carrie Cracknell, during a radio tribute at the time of her death, her loved ones and cast and crew had been “sworn to secrecy” so that she could carry on working.
“Her need to be fully alive and be committed and to take things incredibly seriously, such as her family and charity work, defined her last few years for her as much as ever,” she said.
Which Peaky Blinders Cast Members Are Returning?
The core cast is believed to be returning, however, and it looks like a character will be returning from the grave.
Tommy’s wife, Grace (Annabelle Wallis) has hinted at a return to the series, however, most likely as a figment of her former husband’s manic imagination.
Back in May, Wallis tweeted: “She has some unfinished business…” which we can only imagine will transpire with Tommy’s downhill slide.
she has some unfinished business… https://t.co/Jzlchhddde
— Annabelle Wallis (@WallisAnnabelle) May 27, 2020
Michael’s (Finn Cole) wife, Gina Gray (Anya Taylor-Joy) is also said to be having more of a pivotal role this time around.
Speaking to Digital Spy, Byrne spoke of a new female character.
“There’s a great female character who is new, who is pretty dark. I haven’t seen a character like her in Peaky before. I won’t say who she is, but she certainly gives Tommy a run for his money. She challenges him in a different way basically. She’s certainly not a protagonist and I don’t know if she’s an antagonist.”
“It’s similar to [Oswald] Mosley… she has a similar ideology, and that’s challenging for any character as I’ve said before… he or she, they don’t have guns or a gang, but they have an ideology that’s like a virus and it’s more dangerous than anything. She’s a great character and we’re really close to casting her, as well.”
Is Peaky Blinders Based on a True Story?
We do know that a lot of Knight’s characters are based on real people, including Oswald Mosley.
In real life, Mosley married Diana Guinness in 1936 (with Hitler as their guest of honour — no joke) so, could this new character (above) be her?
Will There Be a Season 7 of Peaky Blinders?
Peaky Blinders is ending after its sixth season with the Shelby family finally hanging up their caps. Well, sort of.
The series, which went into production in January 2021 after a long hiatus due to the global pandemic, will be coming to an end, however, according to the show’s creator, it “will continue in another form.”
“Thank you to all the Peaky fans who have been so unwaveringly supportive and patient. Steve’s scripts are incredible and mark the end of an epic story that has entranced audiences since it first started in 2013, but the world of Peaky Blinders will most definitely live on,” executive producer Caryn Mandabach said in a statement.
Will We Love the New Season?
According to Byrne, it’s going to be “pretty f**king epic.”
Catch up on the first five seasons of Peaky Blinders, streaming on Netflix.