Peaky Blinders is returning to BBC One later this month with the fifth season, but some fans are still reminiscing about season four’s catastrophic ending.
In the finale of series four, viewers saw one of the most dynamic characters written out, and apparently the outcome didn’t have to be so dramatic.
In a tense scene, Alfie Solomons (played by Tom Hardy) was shot dead by Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy).
It came after Tommy found out he had betrayed him to his former ally Luca Changretta (Adrien Brody).
Having been diagnosed with terminal cancer, Alfie was waiting for the days to pass until he died.
But, according to a fellow cast member, there was some “debate” over Alfie’s fate.
Tommy’s older brother Arthur Shelby is played by Paul Anderson and during a conversation with Digital Spy, he explained Alfie’s departure was a shock to him.
“I didn’t know that was coming,” he said. “We were unsure.
“There was a whole thing about whether or not Alfie would live or die, or get shot or not. It was up for debate and discussion.”
With Alfie’s death came Tom’s departure from filming and Paul hinted at the decision being taken out of Tom’s hands.
“I know that Tom didn’t want to go. So there was this whole thing,” the actor continued.
While series creator and writer Steven Knight had the final say on Alfie’s ending, fans were not happy.
Will Steven be making any more big decision in the new series?
The BBC gave fans a sneak peak at the fifth instalment and dropped a trailer, which had a caption saying: “There is God, and there are the Peaky Blinders. We own the ropes. Who’s gonna hang us now, eh?”
The new season is going to open with Michael Gary (Finn Cole) in New York and with the Wall Street crash looming.
The Shelby’s will also reunite as Tommy heads into the political fray as the Labour MP for Birmingham South.
As for what else is going to happen, Steven said: “I think [series five] is headed to political thriller and conspiracy thriller.”
Executive producer Jamie Glazebrook also hinted how this series will focus on Tommy as he begins to unravel with the resignation of his PTSD.
He added: “We’re now watching a character who is kind of losing it, which is very upsetting to see and we’re seeing people on the wider scale lose it because of the financial crash.”
Peaky Blinders season 5 returns to BBC One at 9pm on Sunday 25th August.