Peaky Blinders first look as Stephen Graham faces off with Arthur Shelby

Teaser shots from the new season’s third episode show the Line of Duty, This Is England and Boardwalk Empire actor in action as Hayden goes head-to-head (almost literally) with Paul Anderson's Arthur Shelby, who doesn’t look best pleased by the new gangster’s presence.

We don’t know much about the new character yet, but judging by his appearance in the BBC’s latest teaser trailer, he’s certainly set to cause some trouble for the Peaky Blinders.

The clip shows Stagg meeting Cillian Murphy's Tommy Shelby and saying ominously: "I hear there are some men here from Birmingham looking for me."

The official Peaky Blinders episode 3 description reads: "Faced with devastating news, Tommy goes on a quest to discover who it was that placed a curse on his family. In Birmingham, Ada takes charge, and Arthur takes on some new recruits."

Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight previously shed some light on Graham's upcoming debut in an exlusive interview with RadioTimes.com.

"I hope they'll be surprised. What I can say, he's from Liverpool," he said. "And he's speaking in his own accent, which I think Stephen enjoyed."

Graham’s involvement in season 6 was revealed by the actor himself in 2020, but he told Pound for Pound podcast that his role had been put on “indefinite” hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"I was supposed to be starting Peaky Blinders but that has been put on hold indefinitely. My agent spent a lot of time putting that together," he said.

In April 2021, the official Peaky Blinders Twitter confirmed that the actor was joining the show, sharing a photo of the actor in character.

“We’re thrilled that @StephenGraham73 has joined the cast of #PeakyBlinders series 6,” the tweet read.

• Read more: Peaky Blinders season 6 review: Helen McCrory tribute is a breathtaking triumph
• Read more: Peaky Blinders season 6 cast: Meet the returning characters and new faces
• Read more: Peaky Blinders' star reacts to shocking episode 1 reveal

Peaky Blinders is available to stream on BBC iPlayer and Netflix. Read our guide to the best series on Netflix, check out our Drama hub for more news, interviews and features or find something to watch with our TV Guide.

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