First look at Peaky Blinders creator’s gripping new drama A Thousand Blows – as Line of Duty star transforms

DISNEY has just released the first look at the gripping new series, A Thousand Blows.

The drama was created by Steven Knight CBE, who was the genius behind BBC smash hit, Peaky Blinders.

Now the screenwriter has a new show coming to Disney+, and fans are going to be in for a treat.

The new drama is set in Victorian London within the ‘perilous world of illegal boxing‘.

In 2022, Line Of Duty star Stephen Graham played the role of Hayden Stagg in Peaky Blinders.

Now he is reuniting with the creator to play boxer Sugar Goodson, and first-look images show the determined character.

He plays a seasoned and ‘dangerous’ boxer who is seen to be preparing for an important match.

Alongside him, Malachi Kirby and The Crown’s Erin Doherty are also set to play major roles.

The new snaps show Malachi in character, Hezekiah Moscow, dressed in period Victorian clothing.

He also sports cuts and bruises on his face as he is thrust into ‘the vibrant and violent melting pot of post-industrial revolution London’s East End from Jamaica’.

The series will follow the pair as they become locked into an intense rivalry that goes past the ring.

Elsewhere, Doherty’s character Mary Carr is the leader of a notorious all-female London gang called the Forty Elephants.

In the pictures, she could be seen resting on the ropes by the edge of a boxing ring as the group battles for survival on the streets.

The drama is not set to be released on the global streamer until next year, but a second series seems to have already been given the go-ahead.

Steven previously couldn’t help but gush about the series as he admitted: “The love and care that went into this thrilling production is evident on screen from the first moment.

“What makes the story we tell all the more compelling is that it is based on the lives of real people who lived extraordinary lives in extraordinary times.”

It turns out that Stephen Graham himself came up with the idea for the show.

He previously told RadioTimes: “He contacted me and said, ‘Would you write an hour on this?’ I said, ‘Alright then.’ Then it got picked up and it’s all in production now.”

Other names in the cast include Small Axe star Francis Lovehall, who will play Hezekiah’s best friend Alec Munroe.

Warrior actor Jason Tobin will play the role of Mr Lao, and James Nelson-Joyce will star as Edward ‘Treacle’ Goodson.

Members of the all girl gang will include Boiling Point’s Hannah Walters – who is married to Stephen Graham – and Industry star Caoilfhionn Dunne, who will play the role of Anne Glover.

The Forty Elephants is also comprised of Alice Diamond, Nadia Albina, Morgan Hilaire, Jemma Carlton, and Brassic‘s Darci Shaw.

A Thousand Blows will be available to watch on Disney+ next year.