Peaky Blinders star Helen McCrory thinks it's not just expert strategy that keeps her character Polly Gray one step ahead of Tommy Shelby's enemies.
When Tommy has been in his darkest moments facing the American mafia or corrupt coppers, Aunt Polly usually comes up with a way to get him and the rest of the family out of trouble.
Related: Peaky Blinders director reveals Tom Hardy's bizarre idea for Alfie Solomons role
In the run-up to the fifth series, McCrory has shared with Digital Spy that she thinks supernatural forces help guide Polly's intuition at crucial moments.
"I think she has got second sight," she told us. "I don’t think it’s this weird alien thing that’s to do with a Ouija board and water… she might bring in the theatricality of that a bit, for other people, if she really wants to make her point across, but I think the truth of it is that she is very instinctive. A lot of people are."
The actress continued: "A lot of the most successful people in life I’ve met are very instinctive. That’s why they decided – I’m going to patent this thing called Google. Whatever – they listen to their instincts. And she does and she’s very sensitive about people and I think that’s very true.
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"I meet a lot of people like that. Women often say ‘I knew, I felt it in my bones’ – and we always forget the ones that were completely f**king wrong and only quote to our husbands repeatedly the ones that were actually true. But, yeah, definitely for me, Polly has sight. It’s not a way of manipulating other people. It’s something she truly believes in."
Tommy will need Polly's "second sight" more than ever in the new series. He'll be heading to Whitehall as an MP, where he clashes with the real-life fascist leader Oswald Mosley.
Peaky Blinders seasons 5 returns to BBC One on Sunday, August 25 at 9pm.
Obsessed With… Peaky Blinders hosted by Digital Spy's Editor, Laurence Mozafari, is out now and available to listen to on BBC Sounds.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
Laurence Mozafari (he/him) is a multi-award winning journalist, editor, and presenter. A former Editor-in-Chief of Digital Spy, Laurence previously held roles as the site's Editor, Deputy Editor, and Associate Editor focusing on news, social, and video. Laurence hosted the BBC Sounds podcast Obsessed with Peaky Blinders in 2019. He also hosts his own podcast production, Time of My Life, where he interviews fascinating elders about their life lessons, including Only Fools and Horses' Sir David Jason, Star Trek’s George Takei and Bridgerton’s Adjoa Andoh.
Laurence was named Editorial Director – Youth Audience at Reach in early 2025. Prior to joining Digital Spy, he was previously at Bauer Media working as Digital Editor of Heat magazine's website Heatworld.com, and has also worked at and written for Sky, NME, Q magazine, Grazia, Closer, FHM and dedicated careers website GoThinkBig. He secured a first-class BA journalism degree at Staffordshire University, along with several NCTJ qualifications, and now has 14 years' experience in digital publishing covering TV, movies, music, gaming, tech, showbiz, and travel.
Laurence has been a broadcasting contributor on television and radio, including KISS, Heat Radio, BBC Radio London, Radio 5 Live, and BBC Breakfast.
He is also a visiting lecturer at various universities teaching journalism, including City, University of London, Nottingham Trent, Staffordshire University and London Metropolitan. Laurence has won numerous awards in his journalism career, including the BSME Talent Award’s Best Deputy Editor, the PPA's 30 Under 30, and the New Editor and Editor of the Year at the AOP and BSMEs. He led Digital Spy to win PPA's Digital Content Team of the Year twice, along with the British Media Awards’ Brand of the Year in 2021.
Laurence joined the committee for the British Society of Magazine Editors in 2022 and was named vice-chair in 2025. He has since hosted panels with CEOs of Immediate Media and the Media Trust at the PPA Festival, as well as presenting his own radio show on Green Man Radio at Green Man Festival in 2022. Laurence is also a Brits voting academy member.
Laurence has been lucky enough to interview numerous celebrities, actors, and musicians throughout his career. Arnold Schwarzenegger loved his hair, Jimmy Carr loved his coat and Antonio Banderas gave a shout-out to his mum. Laurence has covered set visits for The Witcher on Netflix and Marvel’s Inhumans, he got Daisy Ridley to do a Chewbacca impression and loves Marvel, PlayStation, Glastonbury and craft beer. Linkedin
