A Thousand Blows exec says they "never glorify" the history of the Forty Elephants

You'll be hard pressed to not be seriously impressed by their prowess when watching though, a natural reaction being one of inspiration at how these women bandied together to try and avoid police capture.

But were there ever any conversations around how to appropriately represent the criminal gang?

Chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com about just that, Hannah Walters – who stars as one of the Forty Elephants, Eliza Moody, and serves as executive producer – said: "There were conversations about other characters but specifically for the Forty Elephants, I think we never glorify the crime that they commit.

"Because ultimately, they’re just doing it get by, it’s a means to an end. They’re not living in luxurious houses and living these incredible lives, they’re just living life. There weren’t many opportunities for working class women at that time, it was – let’s be honest – it was the whore house or the work house."

Walters added: "So, for these women, they chose a different path. Actually, that’s quite inspiring that they decided to do that and put themselves at risk on a daily basis of being put in prison, being hung. It was tough times. They just decided to toughen up and go against the system, there’s something inspiring about that.”

As we come to learn in the series, there are plenty of different dynamics at play between the characters but ultimately, all of them are good at what they do. So much so, that they catch the eye of Harrods shop worker Alice Diamond, played by Darci Shaw.

Speaking about the Forty Elephants and their strangely inspiring story, Shaw told RadioTimes.com: "It is inspiring, isn’t it? It’s empowering to see women who took control.

"Obviously there was a male gang who were thieves but these women were a cohort of their own and they were just earning money and they were so good at it. They were so organised, like really good organised crime and they were earning great money off it, supporting each other. There was a real family there, which I think we all created together."

Read more:

• Stephen Graham on A Thousand Blows' brutal fight scenes: "I did crack a stuntman's rib"
• Stephen Graham reveals how A Thousand Blows came about – with a hint of Peaky Blinders bartering

While they're certainly not the villains in this tale, the Forty Elephants were criminals in their heyday. It's a part of history that may have been approached with a "rose-tinted view", according to series creator Steven Knight.

He also told RadioTimes.com: “Maybe it is a rose-tinted view of what they did but it is a fact that obviously, they were stealing from people who had rather a lot. And they represented people who had very little. I think that Robin Hood thing still kicks in so I think that’s probably why we enjoy it.”

As well as following the Forty Elephants, A Thousand Blows also centres on the story of best friends Hezekiah Moscow and Alec Munroe, who travel from Jamaica to London in the hopes of more, but are soon thrust into the boxing scene.

As per the synopsis: "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, who sets about exploiting his talents to further her criminal enterprise.

"Meanwhile the menacing and self-declared emperor of the East End boxing world, Sugar Goodson, determines to destroy Hezekiah whose ambitions to fight in the West End threaten everything he has built. What ensues is a battle of the old world against the new."

A Thousand Blows comes to Disney Plus from 21st February. You can sign up to Disney Plus from £4.99 a month now.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.