Cillian Murphy wants swift Peaky Blinders return

Cillian Murphy has issued a plea to Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight to let him play Tommy Shelby in the hit British crime drama again.

The 2024 Oscar-nominee played Birmingham crime lord Tommy Shelby in the show, which ran for six seasons until 2022.

A spin-off movie has long been in the works, as are two spin-off series for Netflix which would focus on the origins of Polly, the late Helen McCrory's character, and a connected gangland series set in Boston.

Despite his success in Hollywood, where he is a hot favourite to win the Best Actor Oscar for the title role in Oppenheimer, Murphy wants Knight to bring him back as Tommy.

"If there is more story to tell, and if Steven Knight delivers a script like I know he can, then I will be there," the 47-year-old told the BBC's Desert Island Discs radio show. "I mean, if we want to watch 50-year-old Tommy Shelby, I will be there. Let's do it."

Although he is now strongly identified with Tommy, Murphy wasn't Knight's immediate choice to play the part.

The Batman Begins actor revealed: "I wasn't the obvious choice physically. I don't know if I convinced Stephen in the meeting, but apparently afterwards I sent him a text that said: 'Remember, I am an actor.' And I do believe that. I do think it is our duty as actors to transform to whatever the part demands."