Steven Knight explains how A Thousand Blows season 2 is most different from season 1 – and whether it could continue

Period boxing drama A Thousand Blows was a knockout hit when it debuted on Disney+ last year, and now it's back for a second season which was shot back-to-back with the first.

The new season picks up with Malachi Kirby's Hezekiah one year after season 1, finding him as a shadow of the man he once was. Meanwhile, Stephen Graham's Sugar is estranged from his family and drinking himself to death, just as Erin Doherty's Mary is bursting back on to the scene.

The synopsis for season 2 says: "Mary is back to reassemble the Forty Elephants and reclaim her crown. She sobers Sugar up, she has a use for him yet, and forms a reluctant alliance with Hezekiah to take down Indigo Jeremy once and for all. As always, Mary has a plan. And this time it's riskier than ever."

Ahead of the new season's debut, we caught up with the show's creator Steven Knight exclusively for our video interview series The Radio Times Writers' Room, in which we get to know what makes screenwriters tick.

When asked where fans can expect season 2 to be most different from season 1, Knight said: "I think the first season of anything, you're doing a lot of work to get the characters established and also into the hearts of the viewers, and hopefully that's happened with this, because I think response was amazing.

"And once people are invested in the characters, I think you're then at liberty to go a bit deeper and be a bit more expansive with each of the characters."

Knight continued: "What I wanted to do was to put them in situations where – and it does happen in the series - they really are put to the test. And also to begin the series by splitting them up and then seeing how, like a force of gravity, they're actually always going to come back together, because that's who they are.

"So yeah, I really enjoyed getting those characters to do what those characters do, but also trying, where possible, to make it unexpected."

Knight was also asked about the season's ending, which sees the board shaken up once more. Asked whether this is with a view to the future and potential further seasons, Knight said with a smile: "Always a view to the future, yeah."

As part of his conversation for The Radio Times Writers' Room, Knight also spoke about Peaky Blinders, SAS Rogue Heroes, House of Guinness and more.

He also gave some very small hints regarding the upcoming James Bond film, which will be directed by Denis Villeneuve and for which he is writing the script.

Steven Knight's interview for The Radio Times Writers' Room will be available to watch in full on Friday 9th January.

A Thousand Blows season 2 is coming to Disney+ on Friday 9th January 2026 – you can sign up to Disney+ from £5.99 a month now.

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