Thirteen

We open with the deathly strains of David Bowie’s Lazarus. Bowie was a fan of Peaky Blinders and let it be known that music from his final album could be used on the show. Celebrity endorsements don’t come much better and Lazarus makes for a haunting opening, as we watch the near-dead Tommy recover from his injuries.

It’s the prologue to a feverish sort of episode that is dominated by a brilliant comeback for Tom Hardy as Alfie Solomons, the gangster who nearly scuppered the Blinders in the last series. Hardy is deliriously good as Alfie, a man simultaneously terrifying and hilarious. He has to help Tommy out in his dealings with the Russian aristocrats and you could watch him toy with them all day, calling the prince “little man” and gently reminding them of their misdeeds in the old country.

His cameo really ought to be the standout scene tonight. But there’s a Russian orgy that has its memorable moments, too.