A Thousand Blows sees Peaky Blinders writer Steven Knight make his next period TV show, this time starring British actor Stephen Graham as a dangerous underworld boxer, alongside Erin Doherty and Malachi Kirby.
A Thousand Blows is set in 1880s Victorian London, and based on real-life characters and events. The series shines a light on the illegal boxing rings that existed in Victorian inner cities by following two best friends from Jamaica, Hezekiah (Malachi Kirby) and Alec (Francis Loevehall), who find themselves thrust into the vibrant and violent world of post-industrial London. The Crown star Erin Doherty plays Mary Carr, leader of The Forty Elephants, the notorious all-female London gang.
“To be able to work with Steven Knight again and the talented team of writers we have for this project is truly wonderful, and to tell the story of these incredible characters during this period of time in London is a joy,” says Stephen Graham who starred in Peaky Blinders, also written by Steven Knight.
“Aside from having the privilege of bringing the role of Sugar Goodson to life, I am also extremely proud that Matriarch is co-producing this show whilst helping to create opportunities for people in front of and behind the camera, instilling the ethos of providing training within production that otherwise would be difficult for some to pursue as a career.”
Here’s everything you need to know about A Thousand Blows…
A Thousand Blows release date
A Thousand Blows is a six-part series released on Friday, February 21 2025 on Disney Plus in the UK and Hulu in the US. There are 6 episodes in total.
Is there an A Thousand Blows trailer?
Yes both an official trailer and teaser trailer have been released for A Thousand Blows. Take a look at all the boxing action in both below...
A Thousand Blows plot
Over six episodes, A Thousand Blows follows best friends Hezekiah and Alec as they move from Jamaica to London’s East End in the 1880s. The young immigrant hopes to earn his fortune as a lion-tamer, however he soon becomes entangled drawn into the criminal underbelly of the thriving boxing scene and meets Mary Carr (Erin Doherty(, the leader of the notorious all-female gang The Forty Elephants and the world of illegal boxing, where he comes up against bare-knuckle champion Henry ‘Sugar’ Goodson Stephen Graham).
Hezekiah is first introduced to Sugar when his pal Alec Munroe (Francis Lovehall) fights the champion boxer’s younger brother, Edward ‘Treacle’ Goodson (James Nelson-Joyce). However it’s not long before Hezekiah and East End legend Sugar find themselves facing off in the ring themselves. The pair become embroiled in an intense rivalry that goes far beyond the ring.
A Thousand Blows cast — Stephen Graham on playing Sugar Goodson
British acting stalwart Stephen Graham, who plays seasoned boxer Sugar Goodsen in A Thousand Blows, says: "‘The producer showed me a picture of the real Hezekiah Moscow. I was working on Peaky Blinders and my wife (actor and producer, Hannah Walters) said Steven Knight would definitely be interested in writing. I thought there was no chance, but he’d said he’d love to!
"I did a bit of boxing when I was growing up, but I had to train hard for this! It was all about bulking up and learning the choreography. Filming the actual fight scenes with Malachi took three or four days - and they were heavy days!"
* Stephen Graham already has an impressive and prolific CV. Stephen played Lee Sankey in Coronation Street in 1999 and went on to appear in Band of Brothers, Gangs of New York and the 2000 movie Snatch. He starred in This is England and has gone on to be in Little Boy Blue, Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge, The Virtues, A Christmas Carol, Save Me, Peaky Blinders and White House Farm. He played chef Andy Jones in Boiling Point, was Line of Duty baddie John Corbett, and starred in Help with Jodie Comer and Time alongside Sean Bean. He stars in the comedy Code 404 and was Mr Wormwood in the film Matilda. Look out for him too in Netflix series Adolescence.
Who else is starring in A Thousand Blows?
Other cast of A Thousand Blows includes Malachi Kirby as Hezekiah Moscow, Francis Lovehall (Small Axe) as Alec and Erin Doherty (The Crown, Chloe) who plays Mary Carr who is the leader of the all-female gang called The Forty Elephants. Jason Tobin plays Mr Lao and James Nelson-Joyce is Edward “Treacle” Goodson. The Forty Elephants will feature Hannah Walters as Eliza Moody, Nadia Albina as Verity Ross, Morgan Hilaire as Esme Long, Jemma Carlton as Belle Downer and Caoilfhionn Dunne as Anne Glover. Francis Lovehall plays Alec Munroe, Darci Shaw (Midas Man) plays Alice Diamond, Susan Lynch plays Jane Carr, Daniel Mays plays William ‘Punch’ Lewis, Adam Nagaitis plays the Earl of Lonsdale, Gary Lewis plays Jack Mac, Tom Davis plays Charlie Mitchell and Robert Glenister plays Indigo Jeremy.
Erin Doherty, who played Princess Anne in The Crown, says: "The Forty Elephants were a real organisation and Mary Carr was a real woman. We don’t see women like this very often on TV - even now - and they were so tenacious and successful. If they were a gang of men they’d be infamous!"
Locations and behind the scenes on A Thousand Blows
Filming of A Thousand Blows took place in London in 2023. Tinge Krishnan (The Mosquito Coast, Industry) is lead director and executive producer, with Hustle actor Ashley Walters and Coky Giedroyc joining as series directors.
A Thousand Blows is created, written and executive produced by Steven Knight, starring and executive produced by Stephen Graham and Hannah Walters for Matriarch Productions, Damian Keogh and Kate Lewis for The Story Collective, and Tom Miller and Sam Myer for Water & Power Productions. Award-winning broadcaster and historian Professor David Olusoga acts as executive producer on the series with Barrington Robinson as first-block producer. The Original series is executive produced by Lee Mason, Director of Scripted Content EMEA for Disney+.
