Disney+ has added a new period crime drama show from Peaky Blinders creator

Stephen Porzio

The series is full of heists, sports and real-life history and is a must for Peaky Blinders fans.

Disney+ has just added the whole first season of A Thousand Blows, a new period crime drama series from Steven Knight – the creator of Peaky Blinders.

Set in 1880s Victorian London, the show charts the rise of the real-life criminal gang, the Forty Elephants, as it intersects with the city’s blossoming boxing scene.

“Hezekiah Moscow (Malachi Kirby, Wicked Little Letters) and Alec Munroe (Francis Lovehall, Lovers Rock), best friends on the run from Jamaica, find themselves thrust into the criminal underbelly of London’s thriving bare-knuckle boxing scene,” the plot synopsis reads.

“As Hezekiah finds fortune and fame through the art of pugilism, he attracts the attention of the infamous Queen of the Forty Elephants, Mary Carr (Erin Doherty, The Crown) who sets about exploiting his talents to further her criminal enterprise.”

Also part of the cast is Stephen Graham (Boiling Point), who plays Sugar Goodson – the menacing and self-declared emperor of the East End boxing world who winds up clashing with Hezekiah and Mary.

Thanks to its electrifying performances and its story’s gripping blend of heists, sports and real-life history, we’d recommend A Thousand Blows to any fans of Peaky Blinders or similar historical dramas.

Currently holding a high 89% Rotten Tomatoes score, you can read a sample of some of the glowing reviews for the show right here:

AV Club: “Instead of Peaky’s famous flat caps and flapper frocks, we’ve got top hats and bustle gowns here—but all of the local grit we’ve come to expect from Knight’s worlds is certainly accounted for.”

London Evening Stanard: “There are plenty of other commendable things about A Thousand Blows, created by Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight (accordingly, the script is full of jibes and quips), but Doherty is why we’re here.”

Paste Magazine: “What is striking about A Thousand Blows… is how modern it feels, and how deftly it uses its historical setting to wrestle with very contemporary social issues and themes.”

RogerEbert.com: “With each episode, it becomes clear that you’re watching something special, the show fantastically blending a sharpness and earnestness throughout its six-episode run.”

Screen Rant: “If you’re waiting for a Peaky Blinders replacement, Steven Knight’s A Thousand Blows is a hell of a contender.”

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How to watch A Thousand Blows

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Having already been renewed for a second season, all six episodes of A Thousand Blows’ first season are streaming on Disney+ now.

If you want to watch it but save cash, you could use this technique with an Amazon Fire Stick to save money.

The trick is something called ‘leapfrogging’, which is a way to skip between shorter, cheaper subscriptions to watch what you want to watch without signing up for expensive year-long contracts.

For example, you can get a basic Netflix package for £6.99, and stream what you want to watch via your Fire Stick and cancel it before your next bill.

You can then take advantage of the free trials of other services without signing up for them, all from the same place on your Fire Stick, so it’s super easy and convenient!