Peaky Blinders season 6 release date: when is new series out, who is in cast with Cillian Murphy, and trailer

Peaky Blinders is set to return for another epic series, with Tommy Shelby and his family exercising questionable judgement in the lawless streets of Birmingham in the 1920s.

Filming for season six began back in February 2021, with Cillian Murphy and others spotted in Manchester and Scotland. The series concluded with Tommy having gone from criminal underworld to public-facing politician in his bid for power.

Though the BBC has not officially confirmed the release date yet, Cillian Murphy has revealed the series will air in February, and The Sunday Times said the series would begin on Sunday 27 February at the end of their interview with director Anthony Byrne.

So, who will return for the sixth season of Peaky Blinders, what can we expect and when is it released? This is what you need to know.

When is Peaky Blinders season 6 released?

Peaky Blinders will return in February 2022, it’s been confirmed by the BBC.

Given Series 5 aired on Sundays, and that the BBC hasn’t announced a specific date yet, that suggests the series will air on Sunday 27 February - the only date it could be that is both still in February and late enough to have not been formally revealed.

A Sunday Times interview with director Anthony Byrne seemingly accidentally confirmed this, with the final credit for the interview giving 27 February as the series release date.

What’s happening with the Peaky Blinders movie?

And, while this is the final series of the BBC drama, that doesn’t mean it’s the last we’ll see of the Shelbys.

“I’m calling the sixth series ‘the end of the beginning’ because there’s so much more to come,” Knight recently said to The Guardian.

A ballet - Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby - is set to open in Birmingham later this year before touring the rest of the UK.

Following that, Knight explained, is the movie - which itself will give way to a number of further spinoffs intended to take the Peaky Blinders story into the 1950s.

“The writing and making of the film will tell us where we should go next,” Knight said.

Cillian Murphy has been a little less committal about things, however. In a recent Esquire interview, he said “we’ll see” when asked about the film.

“I’m open to ideas. I think [Knight] wants to, but I haven’t read anything.”

Who is in the Peaky Blinders season 6 cast?

Lead actor Cillian Murphy will return as Tommy Shelby, who concluded season five with an explosive row with Oswald Mosley (Sam Clafin).

Also returning is the Shelby gang, who have starred in the series alongside Murphy since series one.

This includes Paul Anderson (Arthur Shelby), Harry Kirton (Finn Shelby) and Sophie Rundle (Ada Thorne).

Sadly, critically acclaimed actress and Peaky Blinders’ Aunt Polly, Helen McCrory, passed away in April after years of battling cancer.

Murphy, 45, told the Guardian that he was “in awe” of his co-star, adding that she was his closest colleague on set.

He said: “She was my closest colleague on Peaky, and one of the finest actors I’ve ever worked opposite. Any material, any scene… she made it special.

“She could do power and vulnerability, one after the other. She was just so cool and fun, and had such compassion for everyone she met. I was kind of in awe about how she lived her life – the way she balanced her work and her family so beautifully,” he added.

Peaky Blinders writer/creator Steven Knight recently explained to The Guardian that he had “written a version with Polly, then another one with a bit less Polly. Events overtook her, and us. It was such a terrible, terrible tragedy.”

The first episode of Peaky Blinders Series 6 will be dedicated to McCrory’s memory; though she will not appear in the series, Murphy has said that her presence is still felt throughout.

Line of Duty and Help star Stephen Graham is also set to make an appearance in the upcoming series, as the official Peaky Blinders Twitter page confirmed he had joined the cast.

In April, the account tweeted: "We’re thrilled that Stephen Graham has joined the cast of #PeakyBlinders series 6,” accompanied by a picture of Graham in costume.

It is not clear what role he will play in the series, but it looks like the Liverpudlian is a working class man, as opposed to a high flying politician.

Talking about his time on set with Murphy, Graham said: “There were a couple of moments – I had to pinch myself a couple of times because I was sitting there in a scene with him, doing a rehearsal and stuff and I’ve kinda gone, ‘Ahh that’s Tommy Shelby.”

Marvel’s Venom star and Hollywood legend Tom Hardy has also been teased as making a return for the sixth installment, as he reprises his role as Alfie Solomons.

New for season six is 21-year-old actor Conrad Khan (County Lines, The Huntsman: Winter’s War), who has kept his character a mystery other than to say his part is “amazing”.

A new female lead has also been teased. According to director Anthony Byrne: “There’s a great female character who is new, who is pretty dark. I haven’t seen a character like her in Peaky before.

“I won’t say who she is,” he told Digital Spy. “But she certainly gives Tommy a run for his money. She challenges him in a different way basically. She’s certainly not a protagonist and I don’t know if she’s an antagonist.

“It’s similar to [Oswald] Mosley… she has a similar ideology, and that’s challenging for any character, like I’ve said before… he or she, they don’t have guns or a gang, but they have an ideology that’s like a virus and it’s more dangerous than anything.”

While Tommy Shelby’s wife, Grace, died in season three, she has continued to make appearances as she haunts Tommy from beyond the grave. Actress Annabelle Wallis, who plays Grace, hinted on Twitter that she may return for season six, writing that Grace “has some unfinished business”.

It is also expected that characters such as Lizzie Shelby (Natasha O’Keeffe), Ned Dennehy (Uncle Charlie), Ian Peck (Curly), Packy Lee (Johnny Dogs) and Benjamin Zephaniah (street preacher Jeremiah Jesus) will return in season six.

What happens in the Peaky Blinders trailer?

The official trailer for the final series of Peaky Blinders dropped on New Year’s Day and it does not disappoint!

Kicking off with Tommy Shelby firing a round of bullets into the air, it looks like the final series will see more fatalities and violence from the Shelby brood.

Ada can be heard warning her eldest brother: “Take a good look Tom, cause one of us isn’t gonna be here for long”

Tommy says: “One last deal to be done, and then we Peaky Blinders rest,” as he paces through the snow and Swastikas appear in the background of Mosley’s speech - a hint that the Peaky Blinders era is heading into the start of WWII.

Arthur looks uneasy as he comes to terms with Tommy’s actions, whatever they may be, as his brother races through a busy corridor protectively carrying his daughter in his arms.

There is also a Gatsby-esque feel to some of the scenes, as they revel in their success.

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