Gangs of London's Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù "furious" about shocking episode 1 twist

But Alex, believing the challenge to be insurmountable and unable to stomach the pressure he was under, wanted nothing to do with Elliot's plan and hurled himself off the top of the skyscraper.

"You can't beat them," he said, before jumping.

Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Dìrísù admitted that he was "furious" about Alex's demise, adding: "I understand you want to keep your audience on your toes and be like, 'Nobody's safe.' And maybe that's the best way to do it. Just as you think, 'OK, new season' it's like, 'Oh! He's dead! What do you mean?!' And for it to be him as well, that was a tough nut to swallow."

He added: "I'm so glad I have his number and that we're friends because it would have been a great loss to my life if I never saw him again."

Chatting to RadioTimes.com and other press about the rug pull, showrunner Corin Hardy defended the decision: "You see in episode 1 that everything is closing in on these characters and forcing them to behave in different ways. Alex is trying to find his own way out and he's got so much pressure on him at the top of Dumani Finance."

But despite Hardy's conviction in his decision to bump off Essiedu's character, he was still sad to see him go: "It was heartbreaking because you do feel really sad when characters get killed.

"But I want Gangs of London to be the most dangerous show on television and you shouldn't sit there and be comfortable. You want it to be an escapist, thrilling, fun ride to watch but if you start to get to know what's going to happen and predict it, it's not that show. There are some shows that do it really well, Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad, where if you ever get comfortable, something will change that."

He added: "It's a [Steven] Spielberg thing, I think. If you kill a child in Jaws you really are terrified for what can happen in the rest of the movie, and in this case, what happens to Alex partly informs how no character is safe for the rest of the show; anything can happen to anyone. And I think if you do that at the beginning, it keeps you on edge."

Read more:

• Gangs of London season 2 review: Same, but different
• Gangs of London's Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù on season 2: "There's a different atmosphere"

Gangs of London season 2 is available to watch now on Sky and NOW – catch up on the first season on Sky now. For more to watch, check out our TV guide or visit our Drama hub for all the latest news.

The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now and get the next 12 issues for only £1. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast.