Can two friends survive London’s bare-knuckle boxing scene? The Hulu Original Series “A Thousand Blows” explores an 1880s East End plagued by crime and cruelty. Its story sees two men from Jamaica seeking a new life, instead finding a destructive existence among the city’s underbelly. Season one of ‘Blows’ is created, written, and executive produced by Steven Knight. The multipennate is known for several critically acclaimed projects, notably “Peaky Blinders.”
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The series looks to a skillful cast for its debut season. Malachi Kirby, Erin Doherty, Stephen Graham, Francis Lovehall, Jason Tobin, James Nelson-Joyce, Hannah Walters, Darci Shaw, Nadia Albina, Morgan Hilaire, Jemma Carlton, Caoilfhionn Dunne, Susan Lynch, Daniel Mays, Adam Nagaitis, Gary Lewis, Tom Davis, and Robert Glenister.
The series’ official synopsis:
“Inspired by the true life stories of a group of characters battling for survival in the brutal East End of London in the 1880s. Hezekiah Moscow and Alec Munroe, best friends on the run from Jamaica, find themselves thrust into the criminal underbelly of London’s thriving bare-knuckle boxing scene. As Hezekiah finds fortune and fame through the art of pugilism, he attracts the attention of the infamous Queen of the Forty Elephants, Mary Carr, who sets about exploiting his talents to further her criminal enterprise. Meanwhile, the menacing and self-declared emperor of the East End boxing world, Sugar Goodson, is determined to destroy Hezekiah, whose ambitions to fight in the West End threaten everything he has built. What ensues is a battle of the old world against the new.”
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Friends discover an unscrupulous world of crime and ambition in “A Thousand Blows.” The series premieres February 21 on Hulu. Get your first look at the trailer below.