Conrad Khan has revealed that was the ‘driving force’ behind season six of hit BBC gangster drama .
Bafta rising star nominee Khan, 22, who is well known for his roles in County Lines and The Huntsman: Winter’s War, took up the role of Tommy Shelby’s ‘secret son’ Erasmus Duke Shelby in the last season of the show, that came to a dramatic finale last night.
In a revealing interview with Metro.co.uk, Khan opened up about what it was like starring alongside , and how McCrory presence was keenly felt throughout.
In the chat, Khan revealed that he never ‘had the pleasure’ of meeting McCrory, but that she was ‘always there’ when filming.
He said: ‘No, I never had the pleasure of meeting her, but when we were filming, she was always there and I think the way that they dedicated this series to her is very very special.
Khan also touched on whether he felt a connection to McCrory, now that he’s part of the ‘Peaky family’.
He said: ‘I never met her, so it’s difficult to say, but, you know, I remember the day that she passed, we were on set, and it didn’t quite feel right to be working, and even on the crew and the people who weren’t that close with her, it was such a profound weight on people’s shoulders.
‘But there was also that desire to carry on and to make something amazing from the series in memory of her and in dedication to her, so there was that, we used that as a driving force to carry on through the series.’
Actress McCrory played no-nonsense Aunt Polly in Peaky Blinders – the matriarch of the gangsters.
In April 2022, she tragically.
At the time of her death, her husband Damien Lewis released a heart-felt statement on his Twitter account.
In it, he said: ‘I’m heartbroken to announce that after a heroic battle with cancer, the beautiful and mighty woman that is Helen McCrory has died peacefully at home, surrounded by a wave of love from friends and family.
‘She died as she lived. Fearlessly. God we love her and know how lucky we are to have had her in our lives.
‘She blazed so brightly. Go now, Little One, into the air, and thank you.’
In the first episode of season six, .
Her character’s absence was written into the plot line of the opening episode, with news of her off-screen passing having a massive impact on the crew and actors.
The show’s creator had described her loss as a tragedy.
He said: ‘After she’d gone we knew she wanted this thing to continue and we hope we have continued in a respectful and appropriate way and moving forward she will always be a part of Peaky.’
Alongside Aunt Polly, Tommy Shelby wouldn’t have been embodied with such force and dynamism if it hadn’t been for the actor Murphy taking on the role.
, when Esme explained that his mother was Zelda, a woman Tommy slept with at Appleby Horse Fair before he fought in the Great War.
, while Tommy was convinced he was dying of a terminal tuberculoma, the head of the family set up Duke as his successor, with other son Charles handling the ‘light’ side of the business.
Knight’s BBC drama concluded with Tommy killing Michael Gray (played by Finn Cole) before going on to discover that thanks to a supernatural intervention.
Khan revealed how incredible it was to work alongside Murphy, saying that he’s a ‘pleasure to work with’.
‘I’ve got two or three big scenes with him, he’s a pleasure to work with, he’s such a friendly guy, despite what you see on the TV, he’s a really really sweet man and I’m a big fan of his work as an actor.
‘Films that he did when he was younger when he was just a few years older than me, like Breakfast on Pluto, his body of work over the years is amazing. But when he’s in the role he’s in the role, and he takes it very very seriously.
‘I learned a lot from being around him. I learned a lot working with him.’
Season 1 – 6 of Peaky Blinders is available to watch on iPlayer.
