Sky's Gangs of London returned with a bang tonight with the first episode in its second season, which included all the twists, turns and bloody action we've come to expect.
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It took 10 minutes for us to meet back up with Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù's Elliot, but it's fair to say that when we did, he made quite the impression on his reintroduction.
In a scene full of bloody carnage, we made our way through a laundrette, clearly seeing the immediate aftermath of a whirlwind attack - and when we finally saw where it came from, it became clear it was Elliot.
The series' showrunner Corin Hardy recently broke down this moment when speaking with RadioTimes.com and other press, and explained that it was partly inspired by an iconic hero of the action genre - none other than James Bond.
Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù in Gangs of London season 2. Luke Varley/AMC/Sky UK
Hardy said: "There's this sequence in the laundrette when we're moving through in the wake of what we find out to be Elliot's mayhem, and we wanted a way of introducing our lead character on the job, a little bit like you'd get in a James Bond movie where you catch up with him in the end of a mission and treat it as a way to meet the character, but also show his character.
"So he isn't just some sort of slick assassin. He's obviously very capable, we know that, but I wanted to make sure it reflected that he's operating pretty messily. He's drinking, he's really worn out from this, what's been a year of killing for the investors.
"So that had to be reflected and I thought bringing the camera through almost like this alley of death and seeing the kind of carnage that he's caused, but just as you meet him he gets slammed into the lockers, was an interesting start point.”
Hardy took over this season from previous showrunner Gareth Evans, and Dìrísù recently told RadioTimes.com that the switch up created a "different atmosphere" for season 2.
Dìrísù said of Hardy: "He's really put his own stamp on this season. Whether that's darker or bigger or more violent, I'm not quite sure, but it definitely felt different to shoot, so I expect the product to be different."
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James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
