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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Entertainment
Ryan Paton

BBC Peaky Blinders: Who plays Duke and Netflix hit you may have seen him in before

Peaky Blinders is racing towards its dramatic finale.

The last series of the period drama charting Tommy Shelby's rise to power started on February 27. The six episode season is set in 1933 - and has explored the impact on British society after Prohibition ended in the USA and the Nazi Party seized control in Germany.

The fifth episode airs tonight and will continue to explore the fallout after Tommy discovered the identity of his illegitimate son, Duke. The character, played by Cillian Murphy, discovered Duke's existence from sister-in-law Esme Shelby-Lee as he was mourning the death of his daughter, Ruby.

READ MORE: BBC's Peaky Blinders' Stephen Graham on being star struck working with Cillian Murphy

Duke is known as a thief who works at the fairground - and Esme offered to send him to Tommy to help mend the emptiness in his heart after his daughter's death. Duke is played in the programme by young star, Conrad Khan, who described the role as a dream come true.

He told NME : "When I had my first audition, I was like ‘This is so cool that I get to read this’, I couldn’t believe it and then when I got the part, it really was a dream come true.

“I was really nervous sitting in my trailer before I went on set because it’s such a family and so well established,” he says. “I felt like a bit of an outsider coming in right at the end… but the director said that I held my own, so I’m thinking that’s a good sign. I mean, if I do a really bad job then all the fans will hate me!

“From how they’ve responded to my announcement as one of the new characters, the fans of the show have been really welcoming.”

The actor is 22-years-old and his breakout role was in the critically acclaimed County Lines. Conrad received a nomination for EE Rising Star of the year award, but the drama isn't the only thing he has appeared in.

Conrad also featured in an episode of Netflix and Channel 4's hit show, Black Mirror. He appeared in a season five episode titled Smithereens alongside Sherlock actor, Andrew Scott, and he heaped praise on show creator Charlie Brooker.

He said: "I was in Gravesend filming the episode for a few weeks. Black Mirror is such a well-established and ground-breaking show – it was just so great. I love Charlie Brooker – I loved him before all the Black Mirror stuff too.”

Peaky Blinders continues on Sunday at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer

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