A Thousand Blows star Stephen Graham would taunt Malachi Kirby before fight scenes

In a press pack for the series, Kirby was asked about whether himself and Graham discussed their training before their first on-camera fight.

He said: “Stephen would send me videos of him training, saying ‘You better get on it, I’m coming for you!’ And we sent training videos back and forth to inspire each other.

"A lot went into the choreography of the fights and planning and training so that they looked good on camera. I think back to that time, and it was a lot of fun.”

Also speaking of his own training before filming, Kirby said: "I started getting into shape about four months before we started filming. The training was really exciting. I started off running in the winter in my tracksuit like I was in a Rocky movie, then I got into the boxing sessions with Jamal.

"We focused first on preparing for the big first fight sequence at the start of the series, which was with Stephen Graham playing Sugar Goodson."

Similarly, Graham said: "I did quite a bit of studying and watching of boxing matches to train for the role. I had my own trainer and my pal Graham Ridge, he’s been boxing from a young age, and he helped me define a style. This also helped me work out the character I wanted to create from a physical sense and a fighting sense.

"It was a really enjoyable experience to get into shape – the best shape I’ve ever been in! It was also good to stay as close to the authenticity of the character and the time period as possible. So it wasn’t all about having a six-pack, it was about trying to create a fighter, a street brawler.

"I put some weight on and then worked on the cutting process. It was a really great experience working to create the physical aspects of this bare-knuckle street fighter."

Read more:

• Stephen Graham reveals how A Thousand Blows came about – with a hint of Peaky Blinders bartering
• Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight: 'It would be dull if I only told Birmingham stories'

The new series sees Hezekiah and his best friend Alec (Francis Lovehall) quickly thrust into the criminal underbelly of the East End when they land from Jamaica. While Hezekiah has hopes of becoming a lion tamer, he quickly realises that some of the doors of opportunity are closed for him and so, turns to the world of bare knuckle boxing.

It's there that he crosses paths with Sugar, who runs the last boxing pub in London, The Blue Coat Boy.

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 is available to stream on Disney Plus now. You can sign up to Disney Plus from £4.99 a month now.

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