The director of the last series of Peaky Blinders has discussed Tom Hardy’s surprise death in the show – and it was very much a “last minute” decision.
With Peaky Blinders season five set to return with two new episodes this weekend, many fans are optimistically hoping for more light to be shed of the death on Alfie Solomons, played by Tom Hardy. After he was shot by Tommy Shelby at the end of series four, some are hoping he may have in fact survived.
“I didn’t know that was coming,” said Anderson. “We were unsure… there was a whole thing about whether or not Alfie would live or die, or get shot or not. It was up for debate and discussion.”
“I know that Tom didn’t want to go,” Anderson added. “So there was this whole thing.”
Now, series four director David Caffrey has spoken of how the decision didn’t fall until the 11th hour.
“That was the thing with the script – that wasn’t in the script. I think we started shooting,” he told BBC Sounds’ Obsessed With Peaky Blinders podcast. “We had a tiny little window with Tom about. We did the stuff at the beer barrels in Liverpool and then we were about to go to the beach.
“But that [shooting between Alfie and Tommy] hadn’t been written. Steve had just come up with that two days beforehand. We hadn’t recced it, hadn’t looked at it and so I literally went through a 24 – 36 hour period of we need to organise the tides correct.”
Caffrey went on: “So yeah, that particular scene – I think it was Tom and Cillian [Murphy] that sort of worked out the scene, that they fire their guns together and both fall over.”
He added: “So pretty much the bones of the scene that Steve had written was there, but you know just through production reasons, you kind of have to approach things in a different way.”
Meanwhile, more artists have also been added to the first Legitimate Peaky Blinders festival, taking place in Birmingham next month.
Peaky Blinders season 5 will premiere on Sunday August 25 at 9pm on BBC One. Find out what to expect via NME’s in-depth interview with the stars and crew.
It has also been confirmed that production on Peaky Blinders season 6 will begin next year.