Who is Jack Nelson in Peaky Blinders season 6?
Animal Kingdom star James Frecheville portrays Gina's uncle, Jack Nelson.
The sixth and final season of Peaky Blinders is continuing in earnest with its second episode.
The instalment, titled 'Black Shirt' sees Tommy Shelby come face to face once again with gangster Alfie Solomons (Tom Hardy), but will he prove to be a friend or a foe?
Elsewhere, Tommy is also forced to meet with Sir Oswald Mosley (Sam Claflin) once again, but this time Mosley is flanked by his future wife and fellow fascist Lady Diana Mitford (Amber Anderson).
The episode follows on from the premiere which saw the emotional tribute to late actress Helen McCrory as viewers finally discovered how fan-favourite Polly Gray would be written out of the show.
During the first episode, Tommy had a tense reunion with his estranged cousin Michael Gray (Finn Cole) in 1933, five years after Michael swore to wreak vengeance on Tommy for the death of Polly.
Tommy tried to do business with Michael and his boss, Jack Nelson – also referred to as 'Uncle Jack'.
So, who is this new character joining the Peaky Blinders cast and who will play him in the show? Additionally, is Jack based on a historical figure?
Here is everything you need to know about Jack Nelson in Peaky Blinders.
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Who is Jack Nelson in Peaky Blinders season 6?
Jack Nelson is the powerful uncle of Gina Gray (Anya Taylor-Joy) and is the boss of her husband Michael Gray in the United States.
He is known in the show for his political connections and large import and export business.
Referred to as 'Uncle Jack' in the season 6 premiere, Tommy Shelby met up with associates of Jack Nelson about a potential business opportunity in the aftermath of prohibition ending in the United States.
After the talks went down badly, Tommy tricked Michael into carrying opium and then tipped off the police, landing his cousin in prison.
Tommy approached Gina with an offer for business with Jack Nelson but got rejected.
However, Tommy threatened to do business with Nelson’s rivals instead – including the Solomons family in the US.
Visiting Michael at the end of the episode, Tommy revealed that Jack, his wife, mistress, friend and son of President Roosevelt and Gina would all be heading to London to do business, leaving Michael enraged.
Tommy had previously teased that Jack’s high-society connections and hidden past have made him an influential figure who needs to keep a clean public image.
Is Jack Nelson based on a real person?
Jack Nelson is a fictional character, but Peaky Blinders writer Steven Knight appears to have taken inspiration from a real-life figure - Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. (1888 – 1969).
That's right, the father of President John F. Kennedy and US Senator Bobby Kennedy and the patriarch of the Kennedy political dynasty.
There are parallels as, like Jack, Joseph Kennedy imported English liquor to the United States after the end of Prohibition and travelled to London with a similar group to Jack's in the show.
Steven Knight initially answered Den of Geek by affirming that Gina was "a Kennedy", before clarifying: “No! I mean, I’m not giving that away so soon. As ever with Peaky [Blinders], you look at history and you take real facts and fictionalise them. There is a resonance with Boston, with senior politicians…".
Who portrays Jack Nelson in Peaky Blinders season 6?
Australian actor James Frecheville portrays Jack Nelson in Peaky Blinders season 6.
The 30-year-old actor is best known for his lead role as Joshua "J" Cody in the Australian crime film Animal Kingdom.
Coincidentally, Michael Gray actor Finn Cole portrays the same character in the television adaptation of the series.
Frecheville’s other major film roles were in the 2018 film Black ’47 and The Stanford Prison Experiment.
Television roles have included Nick in BBC/Netflix drama Requiem and as Christian Talbot in the BBC/Amazon Studios series The Pursuit of Love.
We're sure he will fight right in with the Peaky Blinders cast.
What will happen in Peaky Blinders season 6 episode 2?
Peaky Blinders season 6 episode 2 is titled ‘Black Shirt’ and features a number of character returns and debuts.
The official plot synopsis reads: “Tommy gets involved in a power game with fascists, freedom fighters and Boston gangsters.
“As the players plan to double-cross him, Tommy visits an old ally in Camden.”
The episode sees the return of Tom Hardy as Alfie Solomons and Sam Claflin as Sir Oswald Mosley, the latter now joined by Amber Anderson as Mosley's lover and future wife, Diana Mitford.
We can’t wait to see what lies in store!
- Read More: Peaky Blinders' star reacts to shocking episode 1 reveal
- Read More: Peaky Blinders season 6 premiere is show's biggest ever launch
- Read More: Peaky Blinders' Steven Knight teases Alfie Solomons "chaos" in season 6
Peaky Blinders airs on BBC One on Sundays at 9pm and is available to catch up on iPlayer now. Check out our Drama hub for more news, interviews and features or find something to watch with our TV guide.
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Authors
Lewis Knight is the Trends Editor for Radio Times, covering trending titles from TV, Film and more. He previously worked at The Mirror in TV, Film, and Showbiz coverage alongside work on SEO. Alongside his past work in advertising, he possesses a BSc in Psychology and an MA in Film Studies.
