River City actor Douglas Rankine is set to star in the new series of Peaky Blinders.
The 44-year-old, who plays paedo police officer Joe Dunn in the BBC soap, has reportedly clinched a top role in the fifth season of the drama, which hits screens on August 25.
An entry on Rankine's IMDB suggests he will star in the Birmingham-set show as Billy Fullerton, the leader of the infamous 1930s Billy Boys mob – though this has not been confirmed.
The forthcoming series will see Fullerton join forces with fascist leader Oswald Mosley – who will go head-to-head with Tommy Shelby, played by Cillian Murphy.
Earlier this summer, River City viewers were left reeling by the controversial storyline which saw Rankine's cop Dunn groom Ruby McLean, the 15-year-old daughter of his girlfriend.
A source told The Scottish Sun: “This is a big break for Douglas and one which could really propel his career.
“Most people in Scotland will know him as the dodgy cop from River City.
“But Peaky Blinders is on another level. You’re looking at around 10 million viewers UK-wide tuning in for the first episode.
“Then, of course, the show is also global now with it being on Netflix.”
Rankine, from Blantyre, appears in the first episode along with other gang members.
Fullerton eventually joined Mosley’s British Fascists in real life – with reports saying he then went on to form a Glasgow branch of the Klu Klux Klan.
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