TV Times – 27 July 2019

TV TIMES 5

B

ritish-born

Hollywood film

star Sam Claflin

will join the all-star

cast of Peaky Blinders for its

upcoming fifth series, which

sees the gangster saga make

the big leap from BBC2 to

primetime BBC1.

Sam – whose movie credits

include The Hunger Games

series, Pirates of the Caribbean:

On Stranger Tides and the

upcoming Charlie’s Angels

reboot – will play real-life

politician Oswald Mosley,

and, as you can see from our

exclusive first-look photo, he

cuts a rather dashing figure.

Set in the aftermath of

the 1929 financial crash, the

new series sees Birmingham

gang leader Tommy Shelby

(Cillian Murphy) entering

Westminster after being

elected to parliament at

the end of season four.

‘Mosley and Tommy are

both Labour MPs,’ Sam, 33,

tells TV Times as we meet him

in London for our interview.

‘Yet while Tommy is very new

to the world of politics, Mosley

has lived and breathed it for

a good few years.

‘He’s a society figure,

while Tommy has risen from

the bottom. They come from

different backgrounds, but

they’re similar in many ways.

Tommy also needs allies and

Mosley thinks he can be useful.

With Features Editor

Sarah Selwood

WHAT’S

NEXT FOR...

STEPHEN

MULHERN

ITV has ordered a

second series and a

Christmas special of

Stephen’s game show

In for a Penny. ‘It’s

the best job,’ he says.

HUGH

BONNEVILLE

The Downton Abbey

star has joined the cast

of Netflix’s Christmas

movie Jingle Jangle,

which is scheduled for

release in 2020.

ANITA RANI

Countryfile favourite

Anita will take part

in W’s My Famous

Babysitter, joining the

previously announced

Rachel Riley. It’s due

to air later this year.

TOM

KERRIDGE

The popular chef will

return to BBC2 next

year with a brand-new

healthy living series,

Lose Weight and Get Fit

with Tom Kerridge.

TOM

BRITTNEY

Tom will be back as

Grantchester’s new

vicar Will Davenport in

a fifth series of the ITV

period drama. Robson

Green is also returning.

MORE EXCLUSIVE

PICS, VIDEOS AND

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Cast stalwart:

Helen as matriarch

Polly Gray

New faces

Sam isn’t the only new face stepping into the dark world

of Peaky Blinders this year, with Emmett J Scanlan (Butterfly,

The Fall, Hollyoaks), Ripper Street’s Charlene McKenna and

A Very English Scandal star Daryl McCormack (all pictured

below) among those also joining the cast.

Fans will also be pleased to hear that series regulars Helen

McCrory (Polly), Sophie Rundle (Ada), Paul Anderson (Arthur)

and Aidan Gillen (Aberama) will all be back.

It’s a great

battle of minds!

‘Peaky Blinders is one of

the biggest dramas in Britain,’

continues Sam, who has two

young children with his wife,

Luther star Laura Haddock.

‘My wife and I insist on

watching everything together

and this had been on our list

for ages. But when the call

came in I was away on a job

and I had to binge-watch all

four seasons in one go. Laura

wasn’t happy, but she forgave

me! We’ll definitely watch this

series together, although I’m

not sure Laura is too keen on

my character’s moustache!’

Sean Marland

New

stories

Details for the new series

are being kept under wraps

for now, but it seems certain

that Tommy will abuse his

new position, and writer

Steven Knight (pictured

above, left) has hinted that

it will explore Tommy’s

worsening mental health.

‘Cillian is fantastic,’ says

Sam. ‘Our characters’ first

meeting is quite memorable

and the director wanted to

keep us apart until we filmed

it, to emphasise that it was

their first encounter. When

I got to set and heard him

talking as Tommy, it was a

big moment. The director

had to tell me to calm down!’