Amazing news for Peaky Blinders fans.
Love/Hate has been a superb platform for some of Ireland’s finest acting talent with the likes of Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Charlie Murphy, Killian Scott, Ruth Negga, Barry Keoghan and countless others excelling in the superb drama.
This being said, it’s not just the on-screen talent that’s getting recognised because Peaky Blinders fans are bound to have noticed that David Caffrey was the man behind the lens on Season 4. Caffrey directed 25 episodes of Love/Hate before being cherry-picked by the BBC to work on Peaky Blinders.
Truth be told, the last season of the show was a considerable improvement on Season 3 because it felt like a return to the streets of Small Heath.
Well, Steven Knight and the producers of the show look set to keep an Irishman behind the lens on the new season because Anthony Byrne looks set to direct the entirety of Season 5.
Deadline are reporting that Byrne, who hails from Dublin, will pick up the Peaky Blinders reins and given how events unfolded in Season 4, we’re eager to see what’s in store.
As fans of the show will know, Tommy Shelby’s empire looks set to expand into the US – aided by a deal with Al Capone – but will his newfound responsibilities as a Labour MP for Birmingham get in the way?
The decision to appoint a new director is typical of the show because they usually switch directors with each season. Previous helmers include Otto Bathurst, Tom Harper, Colm McCarthy, Tim Mielants and as mentioned previously, David Caffrey.
Byrne’s previous recent credits include Butterfly, a three-part drama starring Anna Friel for ITV. He also co-wrote and the directed the thriller In Darkness that starred Game Of Thrones‘ Natalie Dormer.
With regards to the plot, Paul Anderson (Arthur) has said that Tommy’s new political power will see his criminal empire and influence expanding.
In an interview with The Metro, Anderson said that Tommy’s new political position as a Labour MP ‘gives Arthur and his family more power. Tommy is in a position of power, and he can only get stronger in that position. So we’ll all have more cover, we’ll have more opportunity and more protection. And by protection, I mean by society and the police and so on. We’ll be able to get away with things under the guise of, “we’re politicians, we’re respectable”. But we’ll be able to manipulate things more. Arthur will be even more Arthur. So it will be a lot of fun.”
Season 5 of Peaky Blinders is due for air on BBC Two in 2019.
Bring it on!
