Acclaimed British screenwriter Steven Knight has had a very busy 2024, penning Pablo Larraín‘s “Maria,” BBC One‘s series “This Town,” and the FX On Hulu show “The Veil.” But all eyes are on Knight’s 2025, which sees him finally make his “Peaky Blinders” movie (now titled “The Immortal Man“), as well as another brand new series, “A Thousand Blows.”
READ MORE: Fall 2024 TV Preview: 40 Must-See Series To Watch
And from Knight’s involvement alone, “A Thousand Blows” is easily one of 2025’s most anticipated new TV shows. But the Hulu series has more going for it than just Knight at the helm. It boasts a bevy of great UK acting talent, including the great Stephen Graham, and a meticulously researched look at late 19th-century London’s eccentric criminal underworld.
Set in London’s East End, “A Thousand Blows” stars Malachi Kirby and Francis Lovehall as two friends from Jamaica who get drawn into the city’s boxing scene, featuring an all-female gang called The Forty Elephants and a dangerous boxer named Sugar Goodson.
Here’s an official synopsis for “A Thousand Blows,” courtesy of Hulu:
A Thousand Blows is inspired by the true-life stories of a group of characters battling for survival in the brutal East End of London in the 1880’s. Hezekiah and Alec, two friends from Jamaica, find themselves thrust into the criminal underbelly of London’s East End. It’s there they meet Mary Carr, Queen of an all-female criminal gang known as The Forty Elephants, and run afoul of Sugar Goodson, criminal kingpin and notorious boxer. What ensues is a battle of the old world against the new.
Along with Kirby, Lovehall, and Graham, “A Thousand Blows” also stars Erin Doherty, Jason Tobin, and James Nelson-Joyce. Hannah Walters, Darci Shaw, Nadia Albina, Morgan Hilaire, Jemma Carlton, and Caoilfhionn Dunne star as The Forty Elephants. Other cast includes Susan Lynch, Daniel Mays, Adam Nagatis, Gary Lewis, Tom Davis, and Robert Glenister.
Knight serves as creator, writer, and executive producer on “A Thousand Blows” Season 1. Other writers on the series include Ameir Brown, Insook Chappell, Harlan Davies, and Yasmin Joseph. Tinge Krishnan, Nick Murphy, Ashley Waters, and Coky Giedroyc share directing duties and also serve as executive producers.
Other executive producers on “A Thousand Blows” include Graham and Walters through Matriarch Productions, Damian Keogh and Kate Lewis for The Story Collective, Tom Miller and Sam Myer for Water & Power Productions, historian Professor David Olusoga, and Disney+ Director of Scripted Content Lee Mason. Tom Miller serves as series producer, with Barrington Robinson and Jo Johnson as producers.
“A Thousand Blows” will hit Hulu sometime in 2025; stay tuned for an official premiere date. In the meantime, check out a new teaser for the series below.
