If you've seen Adolescence, you were likely bowled over by the performances - and you might've missed another recent Stephen Graham and Erin Doherty collaboration.
Netflix's Adolescence is rightly holding the attention of the world right now. An urgently required drama depicting the terrifying results of a generation growing up online and the impact of radicalisation parents aren't aware of, there are many important lessons we can really learn from the series.
The show was filled with haunting details and subtle nods to the devastating material it covers. The performances were also astonishing, and if you were impressed by the frighteningly talented Stephen Graham and Erin Doherty, you need to tune into A Thousand Blows - a recent Disney+ show the pair collaborated on, that seems to have flown under the radar.
Created by Stephen Knight and with serious Peaky Blinders vibes, do you need any more excuses to tune into what is such a brilliant series?
What is A Thousand Blows about?
A Thousand Blows is based on the life and crimes of a real all-female gang operating in the Elephant and Castle area of south London between the 1870s to the mid-20th century.
Known as the Forty Elephants, the gang specialised in shoplifting and pickpocketing, using the large voluminous skirts popular during their reign, to hide stolen goods.
Erin Doherty takes the role the real-life Mary Carr, leader of the Forty Elephants and known as the "queen" of the gang.
Taking on a multitude of aliases, Mary Carr had a long and profitable criminal career between bouts of imprisonment.
Mary Carr and the Forty Elephants find their paths crossing with more characters based on real historical figures - those at the forefront of the murky underworld of late‑Victorian bare-knuckle fighting.
Stephen Graham plays the absolutely terrifying Henry "Sugar" Goodson, a local pub owner and Wapping’s bare-knuckle boxing champion.
Sugar and Mary know each other from their workhouse days, although there's no evidence the pair really were friends, although they are both definitely based on real people.
As their worlds collide, you'll be mesmerised by Stephen Graham's gritty performance, and possibly shocked at just how beefed he became for the role and you'll hold your breath as the Forty Elephants become increasingly brazen in their choice of heist.
It's not powerhouse performances from the two leads that will keep you watching A Thousand Blows, the rich world-building and plethora of interesting characters based on real people, that you've likely never heard of, will have you Googling into the night to find out more about them.
There's also the incredible sets - you'll appreciate the attention to detail that went into recreating Victorian London just as much as the acting. You can almost smell the dank and destitute streets, such is the magnitude of effort that's gone into transporting you back in time.
Chatting to Vogue about working with Stephen and how the subject of Adolescence came up, Erin Doherty said, "We were shooting A Thousand Blows in this massive metal container which they had built to look like old east London.
"He talked to me about creating the story [of Adolescence]because of the news articles that really hit him. It felt vital. I remember him talking about the scene following the police van. And if Stephen is championing something, I’ll get behind it too. I’m a Spurs fan, but if Stephen asked me, I’d probably support Liverpool."
Just after completing work on A Thousand Blows, Stephen messaged Erin to say he wanted her to be a part of Adolescence - and the rest is history.
All six episodes of A Thousand Blows are currently available to watch on Disney+ with a subscription.
