It’s been an agonising wait for fans of Peaky Blinders. While we know all good things take time, the wait to see Tommy Shelby return to the screen, accompanied by the Peaky Blinders, has been an excruciating one, leaving a gaping void no amount of binge-watching can dare fill. It’s hard to believe that the fifth season wrapped up in 2019. In the time that’s elapsed since, the stars of the show and its production crew have grappled with the pandemic and the resulting delays to filming. But seemingly intent to start the new year on the right foot, the BBC has now released an official trailer for the upcoming sixth season and all we can say is: the Peaky Blinders are back.
And it seems we won’t have to wait much longer, either, with Peaky Blinders season six officially getting a confirmed release date from the BBC. While it was originally reported that the series would return before February finishes, it’s been revealed that it will air on Sunday, February 27 at 9pm on BBC One in the UK.
In November of 2020, director Anthony Byrne gave us all a tease of what to expect, posting a short clip to his social media channel which depicted Tommy Shelby – played by Cillian Murphy – walking through the streets of Birmingham. Things then reached fever pitch when it was rumoured Tom Hardy’s character, Alfie Solomons, might also return for the new season, despite fans originally thinking he may have been killed off in season four, only to emerge once again in the following instalment.
Naturally though, with a new season comes new experiences and characters and the trailer gives us an early glimpse into the faces we can expect to become more familiar with as the series progresses. Scouse actor Stephen Graham joins the cast, best known for his roles in This Is England and Line of Duty. Notably absent though is Helen McCrory, who sadly passed away after a battle with cancer during filming. McCrory is one of the finest actors of our time, and brought Aunt Polly to life with incredible strength and emotionality.
The trailer certainly indicates that we’re in for yet another wild ride with the Shelby family and those they come across, but it’s also bittersweet: this will be the last season. BBC announced earlier this year that the series would finish after the sixth season, with series creator Steven Knight confirming that the “story will continue in another form,” namely a film that’s set to begin production in 2023.
Knight told Variety in an interview, “I am going to write the feature which will be set in and shot in Birmingham.” He added, “And that will probably be the sort of the end of the road for Peaky Blinders as we know it.”
