Peaky Blinders boss: 'Polly will remain a fundamental part of the movie'

With the series set to air its final ever episode on Sunday (3rd April), the show's creator Steven Knight spoke to Radio Times magazine and talked about McCrory's character Polly's lasting impact throughout this sixth season – as well as how it's set to continue into the upcoming spin-off film.

Knight said: "The death of the human being is the tragedy. The death of the character is something you can deal with, and hopefully we dealt with it in a suitable way.

"Helen was so brilliant. When anything happened in the rest of the series, I wanted people to think, 'What would Polly say?' It’s like a family when someone passes away, their opinion remains in the house. Polly’s opinion is going to last."

When asked whether that would still be the case in the upcoming movie, Knight replied: "Absolutely. She’s such a fundamental part of what Peaky is; her presence rules."

McCrory starred in the first five seasons of the acclaimed drama, and the series paid tribute to her earlier this year. Her character Polly was killed at the start of the season, with the Shelbys holding a poignant memorial for her.

The late actress also appeared in archive footage in the most recent fifth episode, as her son Michael dreamt of her.

Knight has previously spoken about the Peaky Blinders film to RadioTimes.com, explaining that it will tell an "untold" World War Two story.

Read the full interview with Steven Knight in this week's Radio Times magazine – on sale on Tuesday (29th March).

Peaky Blinders season 6 concludes on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 9pm on Sunday 3rd April 2022.

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The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale on Tuesday (29th March) – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.