Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Entertainment
Kirsty McCormack

Peaky Blinders fans near tears after cast's emotional tribute to Helen McCrory

Peaky Blinders fans were feeling emotional on Sunday night as the much-loved BBC series finally returned with its sixth season.

Tommy Shelby and co did not disappoint as the first episode of the final series got off to a dramatic start.

Tommy (Cillian Murphy) seemed hellbent on starting a war in Boston as he put plans in place for a huge drug deal - and got Michael Gray banged up in the process.

Viewers will be aware that Michael (Finn Cole) is the son of Aunt Polly (Helen McCrory) and she was adamant he would not be involved in the family business.

However, he went against his mother's wishes and fell out with Tommy and is now working for the opposite side.

At the beginning of the episode, viewers saw Michael grieving for his mother after her body appeared to have been delivered to Tommy's estate.

Helen McCrory played matriarch Polly Gray on the BBC drama (© Caryn Mandabach Productions Ltd. 2019)

As Tommy inspected three body bags left outside his house, he broke down as he looked inside the final one and realised the consequences of his actions.

The following scene showed Michael setting fire to Polly's caravan as he body lay inside it and the rest of the family watched on.

Michael was then heard saying: "Mum, it was the ambitions and strategies of one man that caused this.

"And I swear in the name of almighty God, no matter what it takes, no matter how many lies I have to tell, I will take revenge on Tommy Shelby."

As the caravan went up in flames, Aunt Polly's face could be seen within the smoke as it drifted up into the sky in a rather poignant scene.

Viewers were in tears and immediately took to Twitter to comment.

One person tweeted: "I’m Sobbing btw. #PeakyBlinders," while another said: "oh Pol I am sobbing. #PeakyBlinders."

Another viewer wrote: "that tribute to Helen, my heart #PeakyBlinders."

A fourth person posted: "Already crying at the Aunt Pol scenes #PeakyBlinders."

Actress Helen sadly passed away in April 2021 at the age of 52 after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Announcing the death on Twitter, Helen's husband Damian Lewis stated that she had died "peacefully at home, surrounded by a wave of love from friends and family".

She had kept her diagnosis secret, and very few people knew of her illness before her death.

Peaky Blinders continues Sundays at 9pm on BBC One.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.