A Thousand Blows season 2 cast: New and returning characters
The boxing drama returns, but who's who in A Thousand Blows?
The second season of A Thousand Blows is now streaming on Disney Plus, once again throwing us into the brutal world of boxing.
From the creator of Peaky Blinders, Steven Knight, the new season has even more revenge and scheming than the first, with the stakes ever higher and divisions aplenty as we see how things have unfolded for our leading trio.
Led by Stephen Graham, A Thousand Blows delves into the underground world of bare-knuckle boxing in 1880s East End London.
We follow Jamaican immigrant Hezekiah Moscow (Malachi Kirby), a group of female thieves known as the Forty Elephants (led by Erin Doherty) and bare-knuckle fighting brothers Sugar (Stephen Graham) and Treacle Goodson (James Nelson-Joyce), whose stories all end up colliding.
This season picks up one year on, with Hezekiah a shadow of a man he once was, Sugar estranged from his family and turning to alcohol for solace and Mary coming back on the scene with a plan and ambition to reassemble the Forty Elephants.
The end of season 1 saw the sad death of Hezekiah's best friend Alec (played by Francis Lovehall), so we won't be seeing anymore of him in the series. However, there are a couple of new faces joining the cast this time around.
But who's who in the series? Read on for everything you need to know about the cast of A Thousand Blows season 2.
Who's in the cast of A Thousand Blows season 2?
The full cast list for A Thousand Blows is as follows but scroll on to find out more about each of the main characters, plus where you may have seen the actors previously.
- Malachi Kirby as Hezekiah Moscow
- Stephen Graham as Sugar Goodson
- Erin Doherty as Mary Carr
- Jason Tobin as Mr Lao
- James Nelson-Joyce as Edward 'Treacle' Goodson
- Hannah Walters as Eliza Moody
- Darci Shaw as Alice Diamond
- Morgan Hilaire as Esme Long
- Jemma Carlton as Belle Downer
- Caoilfhionn Dunne as Anne Glover
- Nadia Albina as Verity Ross
- Daniel Mays as William 'Punch' Lewis
- Tom Davis as Charlie Mitchell
- Adam Nagaitis as Earl of Lonsdale
- Gary Lewis as Jack Mac
- Robert Glenister as Indigo Jeremy
- Susan Lynch as Jane Carr
- Aliyah Odoffin as Victoria Davis
- Maeve Dermody as Lady Grace
- Eddie Toll as Saul Woolf
- Ziggy Heath as Peggy Bettinson
- Ella Lily Hyland as Marianne Goodson
- Ned Dennehy as Bull Jeremy
- Catherine McCormack as Sophie Lyons
Stephen Graham as Sugar Goodson
Who is Sugar? Running the last remaining bare knuckle boxing pub in the East End, The Blue Coat Boy, Sugar was a big deal in the East End – but is now estranged from his family and turning to alcohol. He has had a chequered past and grew up with Mary but faced a new adversary in the form of Hezekiah in season 1.
Revealing how the series came about, Graham previously told RadioTimes.com that he and wife Hannah Walters, who are founders of Matriarch Productions, initially approached Steven Knight about the idea behind the show.
"I’d love to take the credit for that but that’s not the case. I pass it now to Hannah [Walters]. We got sent this beautiful photograph of Hezekiah and he looked so regal, just so full of humility and dignity. It was a fantastic photograph," he said.
"There were two paragraphs about Sugar and Treacle and it got sent to us through Tom [Miller for Water & Power Productions], one of our other producers, and he said: 'I’d really love you to be involved, I’d really love you to play Sugar if we can get it off the ground and, you know, we really want you and Hannah to come onboard and produce it with us'."
He continued: "Immediately, Hannah read it and went, 'Oh, this is going to be really good.' I was like, 'Do you think so? Do you think there’s anything there?' and she was like, 'Yeah, I’m going to ask Steve Knight to write it.' I was like, 'Don’t be ridiculous, love.' And she was like, 'No, trust me – I’m talking to Julie, she’s his assistant and they want you for Peaky Blinders and I’ve been chatting to her so I’ll make this happen.'"
Where have I seen Stephen Graham? Graham is known for a host of roles in both film and TV, including Boiling Point, Line of Duty, The Virtues and This Is England, as well as Time, Boardwalk Empire and Peaky Blinders. He is also known for film roles in Snatch, Gangs of New York, The Irishman and Matilda the Musical.
Erin Doherty as Mary Carr
Who is Mary? The former Queen of the Forty Elephants, a notorious all-female criminal gang, Mary is intelligent, quick-thinking and entrepreneurial. She has hopes of taking her operations to the next level but her decisions led to the disbandment of the gang – now, she's intent on bringing everyone back together for a new plan.
Where have I seen Erin Doherty? Doherty is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Princess Anne in The Crown seasons 3 and 4. She has also starred in Chloe, Reawakening and is also set to star in Netflix's Adolescence.
atoms.consentPlaceholder.headingText
atoms.consentPlaceholder.consentOrPay.bodyText
Malachi Kirby as Hezekiah Moscow
Who is Hezekiah? Travelling from Jamaica to London, Hezekiah lands in the East End with best friend Alec with hopes of becoming a world famous lion tamer. Where season 1 saw him as charismatic and seeking fame, season 2 sees him tainted by grief and trauma.
Where have I seen Malachi Kirby? Kirby is known for his BAFTA winning role in Small Axe: Mangrove, as well as having starred in Black Mirror's Men Against Fire episode, the Roots reboot series, Wicked Little Letters and the 2021 Boiling Point film, where he starred alongside Graham. He has also starred in Curfew, Devils and My Name is Leon.
Jason Tobin as Mr Lao
Who is Mr Lao? The former owner of the Green Dolphin Boarding house, Mr Lao was the only person to allow Hezekiah to stay in his lodgings in season 1. At the end of the season, Mary broke him out of prison and staged his death but ordered him to go to Liverpool to start a new life.
Where have I seen Jason Tobin? Tobin is best known for his role in HBO's Warrior as well as Better Luck Tomorrow, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, F9 and Fistful of Vengeance.
James Nelson-Joyce as Edward 'Treacle' Goodson
Who is Treacle? Sugar's younger brother, Treacle would always do anything for his brother even if the two don't always agree on what's best for future of The Blue Coat Boy. As orphans, they've had to rely on each other but with Sugar beating Treacle up so badly that his family feared him dead in season 1, their dynamic has changed.
Where have I seen James Nelson-Joyce? Nelson-Joyce has starred alongside Graham in Time, Little Boy Blue and The Virtues but is also known for his roles in This City Is Ours, Mount Pleasant, The Outlaws and Strike. He has also featured in Industry, The Responder and The Gold.
Hannah Walters as Eliza Moody
Who is Eliza? Fiercely loyal to Mary, Eliza is a member of the Forty Elephants. She is the eldest of the group, the second-in-command and more of the maternal figure but in season 1, started to question Mary's own vision for the gang.
Where have I seen Hannah Walters? Walters is known for her roles in This Is England and its eventual series, Whitechapel, Malpractice, Boiling Point and No Offence. With husband Stephen Graham, they both serve as executive producers on A Thousand Blows.
Darci Shaw as Alice Diamond
Who is Alice? Previously working in Harrods, Alice dreamt of more and pled with Mary to let her be part of the Forty Elephants. Now, she seems to be Mary's right-hand woman, helping her with tricks and plans.
Where have I seen Darci Shaw? Shaw is known for her roles as a young Judy Garland in Judy and as Cilla Black in Midas Man, having also starred in ITV's The Bay, The Irregulars and Brassic. She is also set to star in upcoming series, This City Is Ours.
Morgan Hilaire as Esme Long
Who is Esme? A previously loyal Forty Elephant, Esme used to do anything for Mary but her faithfulness started to wain with newfound plans. Now, she's grieving the loss of Alec and keeping a low profile.
Where have I seen Morgan Hilaire? A Thousand Blows is Hilaire's TV debut.
Aliyah Odoffin as Victoria Davis
Who is Victoria? Victoria is connected to Queen Victoria and so, moves throughout high society but has also been a great help to Hezekiah, as we saw in season 1.
Where have I seen Aliyah Odoffin? Odoffin is best known for her roles in Everything I Know About Love and The Strays.
A Thousand Blows season 1 cast
Francis Lovehall as Alec Munroe
Who is Alec? Alec is Hezekiah's best friend and together, they travel to London in the hopes of more. He's an avid boxer with dreams of cracking the industry in the UK but in the process, must try and keep his more reckless friend from trouble.
Where have I seen Francis Lovehall? Lovehall is best known for his role in Small Axe episode Lover's Rock, but has also starred in Champion, Masters of the Air and Criminal Record. He has also featured in Death on the Nile and His Dark Materials.
atoms.consentPlaceholder.headingText
atoms.consentPlaceholder.consentOrPay.bodyText
A Thousand Blows season 2 comes to Disney Plus from 9th January. You can sign up to Disney Plus from £4.99 a month now.
Add A Thousand Blows to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.
