What would Peaky Blinders be like if it was in London instead of Birmingham and it was set in the present day instead of 100 years ago and it had some other pretty significant differences but was about gangs in a major British city so was still superficially comparable? It would be a lot like Gangs of London.
Since the first two seasons appeared on Netflix last month, appetites have been growing for the seemingly-close but still-elusive third. And now, Sky have released a teaser for this mercurial next season. So people have got questions. Questions like the ones below. Questions we’re going to answer right now.
What happened in the first two seasons of Gangs of London?
London’s incumbent Biggest Boss of Crime, Finn Wallace, is unexpectedly and mysteriously shot in the face and killed – no one knows who did it, and his son Sean is left to pick up the pieces and maintain order over the city’s criminal ecosystem. This process is assisted by the Dumani crime family and watched carefully by various others. In season one, Sean sets about avenging his father with a rashness that many of the other crime families consider excessive, and a conspiracy to install Paapa Essiedu's Alex Dumani develops.
Sean eventually discovers that his father’s death was orchestrated by the criminal network's investors, but before he can instigate his plan for revenge, he gets shot in the face. Just like his daddy before him. Only this time, it’s by undercover cop Elliot, who’s been planted inside Sean’s gang the whole time.
In season 2, we learn that Sean survives, and Elliot transitions from undercover cop to hitman as he becomes more enmeshed in the crime network’s activities, meanwhile the Pakistani mafia and other families ascend to positions of control within the network while the Wallaces (Sean’s family) lick their wounds and plan their resurgence. The season ends with Sean and Elliot facing off once again, this time with Sean hanging off a crane and seemingly about to die. Only, once again, he probably won’t because he’s, like, the main character.
What's going to happen in season three?
One suspects we're going to see how things look with Elliot in his new sort-of-in-charge position for a while, but according to Sky his reign is quickly disrupted by the spiking of a batch of cocaine that kills hundreds of Londoners. As well as a season-one-esque “who did this and why” mystery, there'll also be the accompanying interest from authorities that the spiking incident attracts – the teaser shows Eliot ominously flanked by two police officers as he walks down a corridor – as well as the attempts of various other elements of the criminal network to use it as an opportunity to seize control. Good luck, Elliot mate!
Who’s in season three?
Joe Cole’s coming back as Sean, as is Sopé Dìrísù as Elliot. Michelle Fairley has been confirmed as returning as Sean’s mum Marian, Lucian Msamati as Ed Dumani, and pretty much all of the rest of the regular cast, as well as some exciting new additions like Richard Dormer (Game of Thrones) and T’Nia Miller (Years and Years). It is quite literally everything/one you loved about the first two series and more.
When’s it coming out?
All Sky are saying at this stage is 2025. Filming started around this time last year, so the first half of the year seems feasible. Season one dropped in April 2020, so… maybe April? Let's go with April. Might not be April, but let's just say it and maybe it'll happen. April.
