Peaky Blinders is making a dramatic return to television with two brand new series that will centre on a “new generation of Shelbys”, the BBC has confirmed.
The announcement comes nearly three years after the BAFTA-winning gangster drama bowed out with its sixth and final season in 2022, and months after filming wrapped on the long-awaited Peaky Blinders feature film starring Cillian Murphy and Barry Keoghan.
The upcoming sequel series will pick up events after the film, though bosses are keeping plot details firmly under wraps. Both new series will be filmed at Digbeth Loc Studios in Birmingham, not far from the show’s historic setting.
While fans will be eager to know whether Murphy, now 49 and fresh from his Oscar-winning turn in Oppenheimer, will reprise his role as Tommy Shelby, the BBC has not yet confirmed his involvement.
In the television finale, Tommy appeared to turn his back on his criminal empire, leaving audiences wondering how much further his story had to run.
Instead, the spotlight will shift to the next wave of Shelbys against the backdrop of post-war Britain. The new episodes are set in 1953, a period when Birmingham was rapidly rebuilding with concrete and steel after the devastation of the Second World War.
Creator and writer Steven Knight said he was “thrilled” to be opening a new chapter of the saga.“Once again it will be rooted in Birmingham and will tell the story of a city rising from the ashes of the Birmingham blitz,” he explained. “The new generation of Shelbys have taken the wheel and it will be a hell of a ride.”
During its original run, Peaky Blinders became a global phenomenon, celebrated for its gritty depiction of the inter-war years as well as its stylised violence and sharp fashion.
Over the course of six series it tackled the rise of fascism, Irish republican politics, communist movements and Tommy’s fraught political ambitions, with storylines drawing in millions of viewers on BBC One and later Netflix.
BBC drama chief Lindsay Salt hailed its return, saying: “The show made a huge impact when it first came to our screens 12 years ago. I can’t wait for Steven’s scripts to be brought to life when filming begins in Birmingham.”
Local leaders also welcomed the move. Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Peaky Blinders is a worldwide phenomenon that’s boosted our tourism and global reach. We’re proud to be working with the team bringing the production back to the Shelbys’ home of Birmingham – and job opportunities will follow for local people.”
Each new series will run for six episodes. They will air on BBC One in the UK and stream on Netflix worldwide.
