Peaky Blinders season 6: Duke Shelby star Conrad Khan discusses final season response

Duke Shelby in Peaky Blinders season 6 — (Image credit: BBC/Anthony Byrne)

Peaky Blinders' final season has come to an end. Warning: spoilers ahead for the series' final episodes.

The gangster epic had focused mainly on Tommy Shelby’s mental state in the final episodes of the show. Leading up to the finale, viewers followed Cillian Murphy’s character as he worried about his daughter Ruby while getting increasingly caught up in tense political ties with Oswald Mosley (Sam Claflin). Season 6 also featured a slower, more internalized focus on Tommy’s dwindling mental state.

Conrad Khan, who plays Tommy’s son Duke Shelby in the drama, has opened up about the tone of the show, calling it "emotional and internal". The actor also addressed some criticism of the series’ lack of action in its final series.

Speaking to Digital Spy, he said: "I study film. I study it at uni. I've done it for a year-and-a-half. And some of the films we have to watch are a little bit boring. They're two-and-a-half-hour, black-and-white, silent, 1920s, very abstract… So I don't mind going into somebody's internal, emotional state for an hour."

However, Khan said he could "understand" why some may have expected more action. He continued: "But I guess the show is built on action and excitement. So I can see why some people might think that. But for me, I don't mind it, actually."

The final feature-length episode bought the series to a close. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with some calling the final episode a "masterpiece" of television.

Peaky Blinders will be back again as a film is already in the works. From the mind of show creator Steven Knight, it will continue the Shelby family's story further. Details are yet to be confirmed, but it’s hoped many of the stars will be coming back.

Peaky Blinders seasons 1 to 6 are available to stream in full on BBC iPlayer now in the UK, while Peaky Blinders season 6 is coming to Netflix in the US on June 10. If you’re stumped about what to watch next, you can also check out our list of the 100 best TV shows of all time.

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.