Sky Atlantic's crime drama Gangs of London has broken records, drawing 2.23 million viewers for its opening episode. This makes it the channel's second biggest original drama launch, behind Chernobyl. The show, created by Gareth Evans of The Raid fame and starring Joe Cole, known for his role as John Shelby in Peaky Blinders, has also become Sky's most binged show of the year, with nearly one million viewers watching all nine episodes within a fortnight.
Sky Studios boss Cameron Roach praised Evans for his 'unique cinematic vision'. He said: 'We are delighted by the response to Gangs of London and to have brought Gareth Evans' unique cinematic vision to the small screen for the first time. This epic saga, with family at its heart and visceral action-packed fight sequences has taken audiences on an immersive journey into the underbelly of London's modern-day criminal underworld.'
Despite comparisons to Peaky Blinders, lead actor Joe Cole insists the two shows are quite different. He told Digital Spy: 'It's contemporary. It's a writer-director-led show, so there's a real visceral element to it, and a real cinematic element to the show. And it's an ensemble. It's a show in a multicultural, cosmopolitan London. There are different characters and different pathways and different journeys. Peaky is a single-character show, really.'
Gangs of London airs every Thursday at 9pm on Sky Atlantic. All nine episodes are available to stream now on NOW TV. The series has amassed over 16 million downloads so far.
