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Here's everything we know about season five of ‘Peaky Blinders’

The new season has finally started filming

Here's everything we know about season five of ‘Peaky Blinders’
Tom Victor
19 September 2018

Fans of Peaky Blindershave been waiting a while for the new season to roll around, but we’re getting ever closer.

Filming of season five has officially begun, with Cillian Murphyet al getting ready for a fresh six-episode run.

So, what do we know about the future of the show, which has won multiple awards since first airing in 2013? Usual spoiler warnings apply.

When will it air?

As things stand, we know Peaky Blinders is due to return in 2019, but we’re yet to receive confirmation with regards to when exactly in the year it will arrive.

Previous seasons have begun in September, May, October and November respectively, so it’s anyone’s guess, but if we were to speculate we wouldn’t be surprised to see another late-year release.

Season four, which began in November 2017 and finished just before Christmas, enjoyed significantly higher viewing figures than seasons 1-3, so the show’s creators may decide they have found a winning formula.

Which cast members are returning?

Cillian Murphy, who plays Tommy Shelby in the show, is among those to confirm he is returning to the fold for season five.

Meanwhile, Adrien Brody and Aidan Gillen are among the big names thought to be involved in upcoming episodes, but there’s no word yet over whether Tom Hardy’s character a) is still alive or b) will be returning.

Stephen Knight, creator of the show and writer of all six season four episodes, will be on writing duties once more for the upcoming run, but even he has kept schtum over Hardy’s role.

There’s a new director in place, too, with Anthony Byrne taking over after David Caffrey took charge for the fourth season. Byrne’s portfolio includes episodes of Ripper Street and Natalie Dormer film In Darkness.

What will happen?

The fifth season will be comprised of six episodes, keeping it in line with what we’ve seen from the show in seasons 1-4. Knight has also said there are plans to make a sixth and potentially even a seventh season.

As for what the new episodes will involve, we’ve been given one or two clues, especially about Paul Anderson’s character Arthur Shelby.

Paul Anderson (who plays Shelby) previously said: “Arthur’s not gonna be a politician. He’s got political ties now, let’s put it that way. But you won’t see him at no rallies or in Parliament.

“What it gives Arthur and his family is more power. Tommy is in a position of power, and he can only get stronger in that position.

“So we’ll all have more cover, we’ll have more opportunity, and more protection. And by protection I mean by society and the police and so on. We’ll be able to get away with things under the guise of, ‘we’re politicians, we’re respectable’. But we’ll be able to manipulate things more. Arthur will be even more Arthur. So it will be a lot of fun.”

What else do we know?

The show will have a new home, moving from BBC Two to BBC One when it returns.

There has also been talk of a Peaky Blinders film, and even a ballet, but we don’t anticipate either arriving before the next season of the show.

Still, there’s quite a bit to look forward to before it lands next year.

(Images: Robert Viglasky/BBC)