'Peaky Blinders' season 5 release date for BBC One confirmed: Full cast, spoilers, trailer and all you need to know
Not every show has the capability to pull in a wide audience within a short period of time in spite of being an underrated one. BBC One's periodical crime drama, 'Peaky Blinders', is all set to return with Season 5, and the Steven Knight-created story is about to get better than ever. The show has been following the infamous Shelby family who has a stronghold over Small Heath, Birmingham but is gradually expanding their illegal automobile business to new horizons.
Picking up from true incidents about street gangs and mafia battles in the early years of the 20th century, the show is based on the tales about the various gangs and crime families who were known for inflicting violence and other criminal activities. Keeping this as a common premise, each season sees the Shelby family and the Peaky Blinders encounter new enemies who literally come from all over the world, from New York to Russia. As Season 5 is just around the corner, here's everything that you need to know:
When is it returning?
The fifth season will premiere at Birmingham, U.K., July 18, announced creator of the show Steven Knight. Tickets for the premiere show will be selected through the ballot system and fans will be invited to watch the first episode of the show before the rest of the world.
According to a report in Digital Spy, Knight said, "Birmingham is, of course, my first choice for the world premiere, the cast and crew love it here. Birmingham is the epicenter for the show and it means so much to me to come back here year after year and start the series with a bang. This year we're at the Town Hall, which is a great venue, with more fans than ever before able to see the program. I can't wait to see everyone's reactions on the night."
According to the announcement on the official Twitter handle of the show, Peaky Blinders season, 5 will return August 25 and the first episode will be aired on BBC One. The tweet read, "He is back. #PeakyBlinders Series 5 will premiere on @bbcone on Sunday 25th August at 9 pm." This is the first time 'Peaky Blinders' will air on BBC One, instead of BBC Two which served as its platform in the first four seasons.
The U.S. dates for release have not been confirmed, however, Netflix usually releases the show once the season concludes.
Regarding the switch, Director of BBC Content Charlotte Moore had explained, "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. 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.”
Are they all returning?
Yes...actually mostly. While a majority of the cast which includes Cillian Murphy (Thomas Shelby), Paul Anderson (Arthur Shelby), Helen McCrory (Polly Grey), 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), will return, unfortunately some of our favorites won't. Joe Cole's character as the youngest Shelby brother, John, was killed off in Season 4 when he was attacked by the New York mafia gang. We also unexpectedly witnessed the death of Tom Hardy's Alfie Solomons, who requested Thomas towards the end of Season 4 to kill him.
While these two characters have an explanation behind their disappearance from Season 5, it is still a matter of speculation why Charlotte Riley's May Carlton will not return for Season 5. Although the actress herself would "go back in a heartbeat because I just love it so much", she had confessed to Digital Spy, "I don't think that my character will be coming back." We will surely miss this beautiful yet indomitable character on the show, especially her chemistry with Thomas which saw the duo admiring each other while being intimidated by each other as well. However, not all is bad.
The old cast will be joined by some new faces which include Sam Claflin, Anya-Taylor Joy, Emmett J. Scanlan, Brian Gleeson, Kate Dickie, and singer-songwriter Cosmo Jarvis, are all set to feature, as well as Daryl McCormack, Andrew Koji, Elliot Cowan, Charlene McKenna, and Neil Maskell.
So what is Thomas up to this time?
Let's just say things will take a different turn in the same old Small Heath. Season 4 ended on a note with Thomas gaining his place as a Member of Parliament after he became the president of the Communist party. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and it seems Thomas might have to go an extra mile to protect his family this time. After dealing with Luca Changretta (Adrian Brody) and his vengeance in Season 4, Thomas is about to face one of his most legendary enemies, the Billy Boys.
Straight out of Glasgow, led by Billy Fullerton, a former member of the British Fascists, the Billy Boys are all set to enter Small Heath to create chaos, but it is only a matter of time before Thomas challenges them for a final showdown.
And what about the movie?
There is no doubt that 'Peaky Blinders' is just the perfect cult classic of our times, and as the fate of every cult classic goes, now the show is being speculated to be turned into a movie. Following its massive success, show creator Steven Knight and executive producer Caryn Mandabach have revealed the team is in discussions about a possible film spinoff. Mandabach explained to Digital Spy, "There are many people in America that love Peaky Blinders and plenty of movie stars that want to be in the movie. We heard Julia Roberts wants to do it – but this is hearsay… I don’t really know for sure.”
However, Murphy himself isn't quite sure if making a movie out of a show which already has a huge fan following would be a good idea. Murphy had told Deadline, "I'm sort of like, eh yeah, I don't know, I'm not sure. I love the idea theoretically, but it has to come at the right time, you know? You can't alienate the beautiful democratic thing of television where everyone just watches it." So, we are not quite sure if we can talk about the movie anytime soon.
Trailer
The teaser trailer of 'Peaky Blinders' season 5 was released July 30 and the one-minute video has an emotional tone to it. Thomas Shelby is self-destructive, in ways we have now come to associate with him and so when we hear something like, "No one is going to hang you, Tommy, you are going to hang yourself," it is not surprising.
It is also endearing to see an emotionally broken man hold his daughter's hand in one of the scenes in the teaser. The video also shows how the upcoming season will see a lot of action in terms of opposition to Thomas Shelby. From his office being attacked to Tommy himself possibly facing the wrath of the Irish Republic Army, we can expect a lot to unravel over the next season.
News
According to a report in Metro, the show will get a special preview at London's BFI Southbank on July 23. After the preview of the show with the first episode of season 5, the show is expected to release in fall. The showrunners are yet to announce the release date, however.