Peaky Blinders series 5: Everything you need to know

From Digital Spy

Note: contains major spoilers for Peaky Blinders.

Peaky Blinders season 5 has almost arrived and although details are still vague around the exact release date, we have got a spoiler-free review of the first episode which you can read right now, along with a short trailer, which takes heavily from the first episode.

The show enjoyed one of its strongest runs to date back in 2017, with series four seeing the Shelby clan face off against mob boss Luca Changretta (Adrien Brody).

Bar one big casualty (RIP John Shelby), Tommy and co largely emerged from the gang war unscathed, which is perhaps unsurprising given that the BBC commissioned the fourth and fifth series of the show at the same time.

What's more, creator Steven Knight is now planning the sixth and seventh series, with series seven expected to mark the end of the show. "My ambition is to make it a story of a family between two wars, so always 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 explained.

But what else do we know about season five so far? Pour yourself a whisky and read on for all of the key details revealed so far.

Peaky Blinders season 5 release date: When can we expect it?

The BBC confirmed that season five will be hitting our screens this year on Sunday, August 25 at 9pm for episode 1's premiere.

During a Q&A on Instagram, Harry Kirton, who plays Finn, had previously pointed to it coming late in the year: "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."

But even though there's still a bit of wait, at least we know that the team behind it are hard at work, director Anthony Byrne (In Darkness, Ripper Street) sharing the following posts on Instagram.

One big change this year is that when the fifth series does arrive it'll be airing on BBC One rather than BBC2.

"Peaky Blinders is world-class drama at the top of its game and the time has arrived for it to move to the UK's biggest channel. Steven Knight's epic storytelling is authentic and utterly compelling and I want to give it the chance to be enjoyed by an even broader audience on BBC One," said Charlotte Moore, Director of BBC Content.

"We couldn't have asked for a better response to series four and the impact it had with young audiences. This move will also give BBC Two more creative headroom to experiment with new drama."

But one thing that hasn't changed is the show's unmistakable theme song, Nick Cave's 'Red Right Hand', which set the tone from day one.

Speaking at a Q&A in Birmingham recently (via BirminghamLive), Cave was asked the following question by a member of the audience: "A few years ago, a new show aired on BBC and the opening scene had a man walking down a bleak street in early-1900s Birmingham, to your song 'Red Right Hand'. Tell me, have you seen a spike in interest in your music and your person as a result of Peaky Blinders?"

"F**king Birmingham," replied Cave. "It's a great show. But so many people come up to me and say, 'I'm a huge fan' and have discovered my music through Peaky Blinders. But was Birmingham really like that?"

The man shouted, "It still is."

Peaky Blinders season 5 trailer: Can I watch it?

The first full trailer for Peaky Blinders season 5 has landed and it teases Tommy Shelby's new far-right enemy Oswald Mosely (Sam Claflin), who went on to lead the British Union of

Fascists and a potential death.

Sadly there's STILL no release date, but there is lots of juicy clips from the premiere episode, plus a closer look at Michael Gray's (Finn Cole) new love interest, played by Split actress Anya Taylor-Joy - more on her later.

The BBC also put out a trailer for its 2019 drama slate on January 1, with a few quick peeks of Peaky featured in the show-reel.

Peaky Blinders season 5 cast: Who's in it?

It's been confirmed that all major cast from previous series – aside from Joe Cole – will be back, led once again by Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby.

That includes Helen McCrory (Aunt Polly), Paul Anderson (Arthur Shelby), Sophie Rundle (Ada Shelby), Kate Phillips (Linda Shelby) and Natasha O'Keeffe (Lizzie Stark), as well as Aidan Gillen and Jack Rowan (as father-and-son heavyweights Aberama and Bonnie Gold).

Charlie Murphy (Jessie Eden), Kingsley Ben-Adir (Col Ben Younger), Harry Kirton (Finn Shelby), Packy Lee (Johnny Dogs), Ned Dennehy (Charlie Strong), Ian Peck (Curly) and poet/musician Benjamin Zephaniah (Jeremiah Jesus) are also all returning.

As the wait for series five continues, some first look cast photos have also dropped.

The first new face to be announced was Anya Taylor-Joy, who you might also recognise from The Witch, her casting as an as-yet-unnamed character was revealed via the official BBC One Twitter account on October 12.

The Hunger Games' Sam Claflin will also be joining the show as real-life fascist leader Oswald Mosley, new on-set photos of the actor during filming previously emerging.

Speaking about his character at the Peaky Blinders London premiere, Sam Claflin told press including Digital Spy: "Oswald Mosley is still very young and inexperienced in many respects. But at the same time, a lot more experienced than Tommy.

"So I think the two of them enjoy the challenge of trying to outwit one another and using each other. But I think for Tommy this series, especially, it's very different and it's a very different approach, it's much more of Tommy battling Tommy. Tommy is his own worst enemy."

And they're not the only new additions.

Hollyoaks and The Fall actor Emmett J Scanlan, Brian Gleeson (Snow White and the Huntsman), The Cry's Kate Dickie, and singer-songwriter Cosmo Jarvis, are all set to feature, as well as Daryl McCormack (A Very English Scandal), Andrew Koji (Warrior), Elliot Cowan (Krypton), Charlene McKenna (Ripper Street) and Neil Maskell (Humans).

But sadly, we've likely seen the last of Tom Hardy as Alfie Solomons, after the ailing gangster betrayed Tommy in series four and ended up with a bullet in the face.

Related: Tom Hardy "didn't want" to leave Peaky Blinders: "It was up for debate"

Charlotte Riley also confirmed to Digital Spy that she won't be reprising her role of horse trainer and rich widow May Carleton this series.

After the name check in the series-four finale, it seemed there was a chance we could see Al Capone in the fifth series, now that the Peaky Blinders have business with him.

"That'd be great," Paul Anderson told Digital Spy. "The period [the series is set in] now, he was running Chicago, New York, it was him... and Michael (Finn Cole) is over there, he's making friends with him, so it would be great if we had that introduction to the mob."

Some fans had called for Stephen Graham to take on the role, after his incredible portrayal of the famous gangster in Boardwalk Empire.

However, it's not going to happen, according to Knight. "There's not gonna be any Al Capone. There isn't, there really isn't," he confirmed, adding: "Series five will have a lot of (big-name guest stars), I think."

BUT there might still be an appearance by Stephen Graham in Peaky Blinders season 6 or 7, as Knight told the Obsessed With Peaky Blinders podcast: "Don't worry... we're proceeding with that, but not for this series" and added that he had a role in mind for the actor.

Contrary to initial rumours, David Beckham has not been cast after he teased fans by posting a string of images from the set.

The Manchester United legend was just there to visit following the announcement that he was launching a fashion line themed around the show.

And Beckham wasn't the only celeb who had taken an interest in the drama. The late, great David Bowie was also a massive fan, so much so that Murphy sent the music legend a very special gift from the show.

"We were friends and I sent him the cap from the first series as a Christmas present," he told Birmingham Live. "He was a very sweet man and a genuine fan of Peaky Blinders, and I was a huge, huge David Bowie fan."

Creator Steven Knight also said that Bowie had "sent a photo of himself with razor blades in his cap to Cillian [Murphy]", and he revealed that in episode five or six of the new season, they would be using a track from Bowie's Blackstar.

"We all grew up with David Bowie and he's a hero," he said. "It's a major thing that someone like that was a fan of the show. He said he wanted his music to be part of it, but at the time I didn’t know it was his dying wish."

Peaky Blinders season 5 plot: How does season 4 set it up?

During an appearance on The One Show earlier this year, McCrory said season five is "the best one" yet, and also revealed a "world first" photo of the actor as Polly.

Steven Knight echoed that sentiment during an interview on TalkSport.

"I can honestly say that it's the best yet," he said. "It's really good. It's fantastic and it all fell together beautifully. Great performances and I think audiences are going to be on the edge of their seats."

After getting rid of both Luca Changretta and Alfie Solomons, Tommy is encouraged to take a break from the family business as Arthur explains "no-one wants to kill us".

Unfortunately, the rest and relaxation doesn't seem to agree with Tommy. His mental-health issues begin to affect him on the three-month break, with Polly encouraging him to get help before he comes back to work with a new plan.

This involves him getting back in touch with Jessie Eden and promising her that "your cause is now my cause". But that's a ruse, Tommy on a mission to work his way into the Communist party and help the government deal with any issues.

"I can be of great use to you. I can give you the name of any Communist Party member who is prepared to cross the line into armed revolution," he tells the King's Private Secretary (played by Donald Sumpter).

His one condition is that he can run as a Labour MP in the Birmingham South constituency, an election that Tommy wins by a landslide. Well, would you vote against a Peaky Blinder?

"I think [becoming a Member of Parliament], that's just Tommy expanding his empire – his ambition is to have power in a lot of areas and that's just another extension of his power," Paul Anderson has said.

The story of Peaky Blinders will pick up in the aftermath of the 1929 stock-market crash. Here's the official synopsis for the new episodes: "Series five of Steven Knight's crime family saga finds the world thrown into turmoil by the financial crash of 1929. Opportunity and misfortune are everywhere.

"When Tommy Shelby MP (Cillian Murphy) is approached by a charismatic politician with a bold vision for Britain, he realises that his response will affect not just his family's future but that of the entire nation."

Steven Knight said: "The story of the Peaky Blinders and of the Shelby family gets woven into the political fabric of Britain and Europe as the 1920s end and the thirties begin. Tommy Shelby faces the darkest force he has ever faced and his struggle is as relevant today as it was then."

During his appearance on Talksport, Knight expanded on one of the challenges Tommy will come up against: "In that era, some of the most notorious gangs were in Glasgow. This (season) is about a particular gang called The Billy Boys who become an issue for our friends in Birmingham."

He also discussed "Arthur losing it big time", Tommy's brother plagued by severe mental health problems.

Knight also revealed his longterm plans for Tommy Shelby as a character, he told BBC News: "The fact that Tommy is now an MP for South Birmingham means that he has to retain his contacts with the people of Birmingham.

"We all know that he has many motives, but what I'm trying to do over the long game is to rehabilitate him."

New filming pictures also confirm the new episodes will see some of the Shelbys in the US, with Finn Cole (Michael) and Anya Taylor-Joy shooting scenes in Liverpool – transformed into Detroit for the shoot.

Peaky Blinders season 5 podcast: Obsessed With Peaky Blinders

Digital Spy's Editor Laurence Mozafari is going to host the official Peaky Blinder's companion podcast, Obsessed With Peaky Blinders, on BBC Sounds, which will recap all of the key moments from season 1-4, as well as every twist and turn in season 5.

The first episode features an interview with Peaky Blinder's creator Steven Knight, later on he'll be followed by stars, producers and all sorts of behind-the-scenes folks. Join Laurence's weekly family meeting as he delves into Easter eggs, things you missed and breaks down every episode in forensic detail.

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