A Thousand Blows
| A Thousand Blows | |
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| Genre | |
| Created by | Steven Knight |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Federico Jusid |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Production location | London |
| Cinematography |
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| Editors |
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| Original release | |
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| Release | 21 February 2025 – present |
A Thousand Blows is a British historical drama series created by Steven Knight about the Forty Elephants, an all-female crime syndicate clashing with the world of illegal bare-knuckle boxing in 1880s London. The first season premiered on 21 February 2025 on Disney+ internationally and on Hulu in the United States.
Premise
[edit]Set in the East End of London in the 1880s, the series follows the Forty Elephants, an all-female crime syndicate led by Mary Carr, who specialize in shoplifting and confidence tricks, and who clash with Henry "Sugar" Goodson, the self-declared emperor of the East End's illegal bare-knuckle boxing world.[1] Additionally, Hezekiah Moscow, a newly immigrated man from Jamaica with ambitions to become a lion tamer, and his best friend Alec Munroe, fight for survival as they come into contact with both groups.[2][3]
Characters
[edit]Main
[edit]- Malachi Kirby as Hezekiah Moscow
- Jair Ellis as young Hezekiah
- Erin Doherty as Mary Carr
- Francis Lovehall as Alec Munroe
- James Nelson-Joyce as Edward "Treacle" Goodson
- Jason Tobin as Lao Lam
- Darci Shaw as Alice Diamond
- Hannah Walters as Eliza Moody
- Morgan Hilaire as Esme Long
- Caoilfhionn Dunne as Anne Glover
- Nadia Albina as Verity Ross
- Jemma Carlton as Belle Downer
- Tom Davis as Charlie Mitchell
- Daniel Mays as William "Punch" Lewis
- Stephen Graham as Henry "Sugar" Goodson
- Susan Lynch as Jane Carr
- Gary Lewis as Jack Mac
- Robert Glenister as Indigo Jeremy
Supporting
[edit]- Elliot Warren as Sharkey Devenish
- Maeve Dermody as Lady Grace
- Ella Lily Hyland as Marianne Goodson
- Will Bagnall as Thomas Goodson
- Elsie Evans as Rose Goodson
- Eddie Toll as Saul Woolfe
- Ziggy Heath as Peggy Bettinson
- Aliyah Odoffin as Victoria Davies
- Adam Nagaitis as the Earl of Lonsdale
- Kwong Loke as Li Hongzhang
- Chike Chan as Lo Feng Lu
- Angus Castle-Doughty as Moreton Frewen
- Tom Andrews as the Marquess of Queensbury
- Tim Steed as Vance Murtagh
- Christian Contreras as Jerry KNox
- Nathan Hubble as Buster Williams
- Ruaridh Mollica as Nicholas Graften
- Stanley Morgan as Prince Albert Victor
Production
[edit]The concept for the series was the brainchild of actress Hannah Walters, who pitched her idea to Steven Knight In August 2022, it was revealed that a twelve episode boxing drama was in development, with Knight set as showrunner with Tinge Krishnan as lead director and an executive producer alongside Knight.[4]
Malachi Kirby stars in the lead role,[3] alongside Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty, Francis Lovehall, Jason Tobin, James Nelson-Joyce, Nadia Albina, Morgan Hilaire, Jemma Carlton, Caoilfhionn Dunne, and Ella Lily Hyland.[5][6][7] There are also roles for Darci Shaw, Ziggy Heath, Susan Lynch and Robert Glenister.[8]
Principal photography began in March 2023, with filming taking place in London.[6] In February 2025, ahead of the series premiere, it was confirmed that a second season had been filmed.[3][9]
Episodes
[edit]| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | Tinge Krishnan & Nick Murphy | Steven Knight | February 21, 2025 |
| 2 | "Episode 2" | Tinge Krishnan & Nick Murphy | Steven Knight | February 21, 2025 |
| 3 | "Episode 3" | Coky Giedroyc | Insook Chappell | February 21, 2025 |
| 4 | "Episode 4" | Ashley Walters | Harlan Davies | February 21, 2025 |
| 5 | "Episode 5" | Ashley Walters | Ameir Brown | February 21, 2025 |
| 6 | "Episode 6" | Ashley Walters | Yasmin Joseph | February 21, 2025 |
Release
[edit]A Thousand Blows was first shown at BFI London Film Festival on 11 October 2024. It premiered on 21 February 2025 on Disney+ internationally and on Hulu in the United States.[1][2]
Reception
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of 40 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Punching up an intriguing era of British history with creator Steven Knight's flare for genre grit, A Thousand Blows is riveting entertainment that leaves a bruise."[10] Lucy Mangan of The Guardian awarded the first series five stars out of five, praising the depth of storytelling and themes.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Vlessing, Etan (16 January 2025). "Erin Doherty Battles Stephen Graham Outside the Ring in 'A Thousand Blows' Trailer". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
- ^ a b King, Jordan (21 August 2024). "Stephen Graham Is A Victorian London Boxer In Disney+ Series A Thousand Blows – First Look". Empire. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ a b c Kelly, Liam (16 February 2025). "Peaky Blinders Steven Knight: 'Lawlessness always catches one's eye as a writer'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (24 August 2022). "Steven Knight, Stephen Graham Team On Disney+ Original Period Drama 'A Thousand Blows'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ Goldbart, Max (28 February 2023). "'Small Axe' Star Malachi Kirby Boards Steven Knight Disney+ Drama 'A Thousand Blows'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ a b Ritman, Alex (16 March 2023). "'The Crown' Star Erin Doherty Joins Disney+ Period Boxing Drama 'A Thousand Blows'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ Emily, Olivia (21 July 2023). "'I Cried Constantly – I Thought It Was So Visceral': Ella Lily Hyland On Fifteen Love, Prime Video – Interview". Countryandtownhouse.com. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
- ^ Cormack, Morgan (21 February 2025). "A Thousand Blows season 2: Release date speculation and latest news". Radio Times. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- ^ Anderson, Haley (17 February 2025). "A Thousand Blows season 2 given the green light days ahead of Disney+ debut, Steven Knight confirms". Yahoo News. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
- ^ "A Thousand Blows | Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ Mangan, Lucy (21 February 2025). "A Thousand Blows review – the irresistible new boxing drama from the Peaky Blinders creator". The Guardian.
