Stranger Things star Charlie Heaton has been pictured for the first time in character for the upcoming Peaky Blinders spin-off series, which is set to explore the Shelby family's journey through 1950s Birmingham.
A New Era for the Shelby Family
The new BBC drama will follow the gangster family as they navigate the aftermath of the Second World War and the city's efforts to rebuild. Heaton, 32, portrays Charles Shelby, a character returning from war after spending considerable time behind enemy lines. Charles has reportedly severed all ties with the violent Shelby gang and their hedonistic lifestyle.
His return also marks a significant distance from his half-brother Duke, Tommy's eldest son, played by All Of Us Strangers actor Jamie Bell, whom he has not seen in years. This sequel series is set a decade after the events of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, a feature-length film released earlier this year, which saw Cillian Murphy reprise his role as the ruthless Tommy and Saltburn star Barry Keoghan as Duke. The original award-winning television series, starring Murphy as the formidable leader of the Peaky Blinders, concluded in 2022.
Cast and Production Details
Also set to join the new series are The Day Of The Jackal star Lashana Lynch and Jessica Brown Findlay of Silo. The new show, which has been commissioned for two series of six hour-long episodes, will premiere in the UK on BBC iPlayer and BBC One as well as on Netflix across the rest of the world.
Steven Knight, the creator and writer of Peaky Blinders, said: “I am thrilled that we are announcing a new era of Peaky Blinders, moving the story to post-war Birmingham in the early 50s. We are incredibly fortunate to have Jamie Bell taking the role of Tommy Shelby's oldest son, Duke, and to have Charlie Heaton also leading the cast. There are more exciting cast announcements to come, and Peaky is on the road again.”
The original Peaky Blinders series, starring Murphy alongside Paul Anderson as Tommy's brother Arthur and Helen McCrory as his aunt Polly Gray, was first launched on the BBC in 2013 and has since become a globally successful franchise. In 2018, it won the Bafta award for best drama series.
