Peaky Blinders creator reveals previous plans for season 7 before COVID 'stole a year from us'

News broke earlier this week that the acclaimed show, which stars Cillian Murphy as gangster Tommy Shelby, would be concluding with its sixth season, with plans to continue the story further in a movie.

The news came as a surprise to some fans, as previous comments by creator Steven Knight had suggested Peaky Blinders could continue for as many as eight series on terrestrial television.

Appearing on BBC News yesterday, Knight revealed: "The original intention was to do seven series, but COVID has stolen a year from us, and we felt what would be a great idea is to, almost in place of that seventh series, is to go onto the big screen."

It's unclear exactly why the delay would have altered plans so drastically, but several other productions have faced ballooning production costs and scheduling clashes as a result of the chaos caused by the pandemic.

While the original Peaky Blinders show may be winding down, fans don't have to worry about bidding that world farewell just yet, as follow-up projects are already in the works for the small screen.

"It's so bizarre with Peaky, because you never know. You never know what's going to develop from it," Knight said. "We're talking about... I don't like the word spin-offs, but TV series that are going to be inspired by and include characters from Peaky."

With so many fascinating personalities in the existing five series of Peaky Blinders, there is scope for a wide array of prequels and side-stories even after the ultimate fate of Tommy Shelby is revealed.

Peaky Blinders is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.