Peaky Blinders Creator & Stephen Graham Reunite for New Disney+ Series A Thousand Blows

Any new project starring the hugely talented and BAFTA-nominated actor Stephen Graham is reason enough to be excited, and when that new project sees the Boardwalk Empire star reunite with Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight and looks to be a transformational performance, suddenly we have a serious contender for best TV series of the year on our hands. Titled A Thousand Blows, several details and first look images have now been released (via Empire), with the series set to land on Disney+ and feature Graham as a boxer in Victorian London.

Alongside Graham, A Thousand Blows stars BAFTA award-winning actor Malachi Kirby (Small Axe) and Erin Doherty (The Crown), with Steven Knight penning this tale set in the perilous world of illegal boxing in 1880s Victorian London. You can check out the first images from A Thousand Blows below:

Graham cuts an even more intimidating figure than usual in A Thousand Blows, with the This Is England and Venom: The Last Dance star looking like a cross between The Dark Knight Rises villain Bane and a bulky, walking-talking fist.

The series will be led by Kirby as Hezekiah Moscow, “who finds himself thrust into the vibrant and violent melting pot of post-industrial revolution London’s East End from Jamaica,” as per the official synopsis. “Drawn into the criminal underbelly of the thriving boxing scene, he meets Mary Carr, played by Erin Doherty, leader of The Forty Elephants – the notorious all-female London gang – as they battle for survival on the streets.”

“As Hezekiah sharpens his new skills, he comes up against Sugar Goodson, played by Stephen Graham, a seasoned and dangerous boxer and the two are soon locked into an intense rivalry that spills out way beyond the ring.”

In a statement alongside the images, Steven Knight, who will write A Thousand Blows with Tinge Krishnan and Nick Murphy directing and executive producing, revealed that the series is based on real people “who lived extraordinary lives in extraordinary times.”

“The love and care that went into this thrilling production is evident on screen from the first moment. What makes the story we tell all the more compelling is that it is based on the lives of real people who lived extraordinary lives in extraordinary times.”

The wider ensemble cast includes Francis Lovehall as Hezekiah’s best friend Alec Munroe, Jason Tobin as Mr Lao and James Nelson-Joyce as Edward “Treacle” Goodson. The Forty Elephants includes Hannah Walters as Eliza Moody, Darci Shaw as Alice Diamond, Nadia Albina as Verity Ross, Morgan Hilaire as Esme Long, Jemma Carlton as Belle Downer and Caoilfhionn Dunne as Anne Glover. The additional cast includes Susan Lynch as Jane Carr, Daniel Mays as William ‘Punch’ Lewis, Adam Nagaitis as the Earl of Lonsdale, Gary Lewis as Jack Mac, Tom Davis as Charlie Mitchell and Robert Glenister as Indigo Jeremy.