The development of Netflix into a global behemoth in the world of online streaming content has meant that more and more people all over the world are now able to view movies and TV shows that they would have otherwise not had access to. This has led to various shows becoming globally popular, and thereby having an audience spread out all over, and has made stars of a number of actors as well. In this vein, perhaps the biggest show in recent years which has been picked up by Netflix is Peaky Blinders, the BBC drama based on early 20th century Birmingham, and the Shelby crime family. It has also firmly put Birmingham on the map, with people all over the world now knowing about England’s second-largest city, and with five seasons having been aired already, fans are waiting with bated breath for the sixth season, which has been a long time coming.
Like the rest of the world, filming for the sixth season was hit by the global COVID-19 pandemic, which is why it has been delayed so far. According to Anthony Byrne, the director of the series, the sixth season was scheduled for release during early 2021, but due to the pandemic, they have not even been able to begin filming yet. Thus, fans will have to wait until early to mid-2022 at the earliest for their next look at the Shelbys, and that is assuming that filming can begin soon.
All the major cast members are expected to return, including Cilian Murphy as Thomas Shelby, along with Helen McRory, Finn Cole, Sophie Rundle, Paul Anderson and Natasha O’Keeffe. The likes of Sam Claflin will also return, while there are rumours that Tom Hardy’s character, which featured in earlier seasons, will make a comeback as well. This is a stellar group of actors, and they have done a fantastic job in this series. The show’s popularity can be seen by the fact that the flat cap worn by the Shelbys and other characters in the show, which has been around for centuries, has now become extremely popular as a fashion statement, and is known as the ‘Peaky Blinders’ cap. There are other areas where the show’s popularity has been seen as well, for example in the online gambling space, where there usually are slots based on the most popular TV shows. It has been no different for Peaky Blinders, with several online casinos now having slot games based on the show, and this is another marker of just how big the show has become on a global level.
Another fan favourite who will be returning to the show is Anya Taylor-Joy, who has recently made waves with her role in a Netflix original production, The Queen’s Gambit, for which she won a Golden Globe. Season six is expected to begin right where season five left off, with the cliffhanger moment being resolved and the story moving ahead. It is also being suggested that there will be a time jump in this season, with the show moving forward to 1934, and therefore the show is set to end around the time of the beginning of the Second World War, with air raid sirens in Birmingham serving as the last event before the end of the show. However, this is still some time away, as according to Stephen Knight, one of the writers on the show, the plan has always been to have seven seasons to tell the story of the Shelbys.
Thus, fans will have another season to look ahead to after season six, but of course they need to wait for season six at first, with filming yet to begin.
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