Inside Cillian Murphy’s transformation into Tommy Shelby from pub pints to protein loading

The highly-anticipated Season 6 premiere of period gangster epic Peaky Blinders was watched by 3.8 million viewers in the UK on Sunday, according to overnight figures. That makes it the biggest launch for the Shelby clan ever, coming in above the Season 5 debut’s 3.7 million overnight average. It also ties the series record previously set by the Season 5 finale in September 2019. The market share was 21.8% on Sunday with a peak of 4.1 million viewers. The episode faced strong competition from the season finale of ITV drama Trigger Point which ended up winning the 9pm slot.

CILLIAN Murphy once went full frontal nude in a movie and has insisted he's "completely comfortable" stripping off on camera. The 45-year-old returns tonight as Tommy Shelby in the final season of Peaky Blinders - but his career in front of the camera started long before the hit series debuted in 2013.

SPOILER ALERT: This post contains details about the Season 6 premiere of Peaky Blinders. Surprising as it sounds, it has been 889 days since BBC One aired the Season 5 finale of period gangster saga Peaky Blinders. With anticipation at a fever pitch, the first episode of the sixth and final season debuted tonight local time in the UK, providing a first glimpse of how things may tie up for the Shelby family — and importantly paying tribute to star Helen McCrory who passed away last year following a battle with cancer. The premiere episode is dedicated to her.

Peaky Blinders star and his wife, artist Yvonne McGuinness, wanted to raise their children, Malachy, 16, and Aran, 14, in the actor’s homeland.However, being closer to his family was not the only factor that helped the couple make the decision.Cillian and Yvonne also sought to move away from “pressure of living in a massive city,” according to the Dunkirk star.About his current lifestyle, Cillian added to Esquire: “It’s quiet. I like it, where I am now in life.“Wouldn’t have been that exciting in my twenties.”About living near the sea, Cillian explained: “We’re quite close, and it does make you feel instantly decompressed in some way.“I think it’s good for the old Happiness Index.”But despite his move to a quieter place, Cillian is often unable to escape the attention that comes attached to his popularity.He confessed he finds people who take photographs and videos of him without asking "so f*****g weird".In a recent interview with The Observer, Cillian explained he "doesn't go out much" and is relieved when people are "underwhelmed" when meeting him.The Inception actor continued: "I'm always happy to chat."What I don't like is people surreptitiously taking photographs, which someone said is like the amateur Stasi."It's so f*****g weird.

Hollywood actor Cillian Murphy returns to screens this weekend in the trademark grey flat cap as he embodies perhaps his most famous role - Peaky Blinders' Tommy Shelby.

The wait is nearly over for fans of Steven Knight’s epic Birmingham gangster drama Peaky Blinders.  Sunday 27 February sees the return of the legendary Tommy Shelby, played by Cillian Murphy, and his mob for the sixth and final series of the smash hit saga. But what can we expect from Tommy and his friends – and enemies – when we catch up with them? Fans are also keen to know about the new arrivals joining the series for its finale, including acclaimed star of Time and Line of Duty, Stephen Graham. Get exclusive celebrity stories and fabulous photoshoots straight to your inbox withOK!'s daily newsletter .

Cillian Murphy is set to make a welcome return to our screens on Sunday 27 February, when the final series of award-winning show Peaky Blinders premieres. The actor, 45, has become a staple on our screens over the years, having starred in films such as Batman Begins and Broken, before landing the role of crime boss Thomas Shelby the hit BBC series back in 2013. Peaky Blinders has gripped the nation since the very first series and now, nine years later, the sixth and final instalment of the Birmingham-based show is set to air.

Cillian Murphy will return to our screens as Tommy Shelby once again as the sixth and final series of Peaky Blinders begins on BBC tonight.

comes after Birmingham City changed their stadium name for one match in tribute to the popular gangster film. The programme’s official social media account wrote in an Instagram post: "Order 5."Birmingham City FC have been ordered to return to their roots this Saturday for the game against Huddersfield."Will they carry out the order? Come on, Small Heath Alliance!"And Birmingham City have heeded the call after replying: “Order accepted.” Keep up to date with all the latest showbiz news by signing up to the newsletter here.

Peaky Blinders attended the premiere for the show’s sixth and final season on Thursday (February 24) at Cineworld in Birmingham.Sophie Rundle (Ada Shelby), Kate Phillips (Linda Shelby) and Natasha O’Keeffe (Lizzie Stark) were among those at the event, alongside Finn Cole (Michael Gray), Ned Dennehy (Charlie Strong) and Harry Kirton (Finn Shelby).Amber Anderson and Charlene McKenna were also in attendance, along with James Frecheville who is a newcomer for the final season.Cillian Murphy, who plays Tommy Shelby, was unable to make the premiere due to filming commitments on Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film Oppenheimer.The actor will play the lead role of J. Robert Oppenheimer in the biopic, an American physicist whose involvement in the Manhattan Project led him to be dubbed the “father of the atomic bomb”.Speaking about the role recently, Murphy said: “I’m interested in the man and what [inventing the atomic bomb] does to the individual.

Zack Sharf Christopher Nolan is now filming his atomic bomb drama “Oppenheimer,” which is notable for starring Cillian Murphy in the eponymous role of Manhattan Project leader J. Robert Oppenheimer.

Universal has released the first official photo for Christopher Nolan‘s upcoming Oppenheimer movie.

Cillian Murphy has been pictured in a first look photo of Christopher Nolan’s forthcoming Oppenheimer biopic.The Peaky Blinders star, who plays the lead role of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer in the movie, is pictured staring intently while smoking a cigarette in a black and white shot shared by Universal Pictures.

Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy has revealed that he visited various Birmingham boozers to help him perfect Tommy Shelby's accent.

Cillian Murphy has spoken on his preparation for Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, noting the similarities to his role of Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders.The actor will take on the role of the American theoretical physicist, whose work on the Manhattan Project led to the moniker the “father of the atomic bomb”, in Nolan’s new film.Ahead of its release next year, Murphy has opened up a bit about his work on the character, revealing in a new interview with The Observer that he has been doing “an awful lot of reading”.“I’m interested in the man and what [inventing the atomic bomb] does to the individual,” he said. “The mechanics of it, that’s not really for me – I don’t have the intellectual capability to understand them, but these contradictory characters are fascinating.”Comparing Oppenheimer to the paradoxical nature of Shelby, he went on to explain: “Tommy Shelby’s a complete contradiction, too.

"It's so f*****g weird. I've been sat on the tube and people have started filming me."He continued to explain: "I don't want to be like, 'poor f*****g celebrities', that is not what I'm trying to say."I'm very happy and privileged and all of that."But I think this thing of having cameras everywhere is something we need to sort out."Or maybe I'm just old."Unlike other actors, the star likes to keep his life very private, especially when it comes to his family.He has been married to his wife Yvonne McGuinness since 2004, having met at one of his rock band's shows in 1996.The pair now share two children together, Malachy and Aran.With not much known about their relationship, Cillian gave fans a little glimpse into family life in a rare admission.He told the publication: "We cook, we watch movies, we listen to music."I was vegetarian for a long time then I relapsed and now I've relapsed back to vegetarianism."My wife is, too.

"My wife is, too. It's so unremarkable!"It's not a good copy."Cillian was vegetarian for around 15 years, telling The Independent in 2017 that it was because he was "worried about getting mad cow disease".He also had qualms about unhealthy agribusiness practices.Cillian did however begin eating meat again in order to bulk up for his role in Peaky Blinders.The actor also revealed how he gets in character for the show.He said: "I love getting up and being someone else."What I find hard is getting up and being hilarious or entertaining as myself."That was never in the job description and I'm not very good at it.

The work of Charles Dickens always seems prescient and allows for multiple incarnations when it’s adapted for the stage, big screen, and television. Another version of his classic love story “Great Expectations” is coming from FX and BBC as the two are teaming for an ambitious new series from Steven Knight (“Peaky Blinders“).

Great Expectations has cast its Miss Havisham. Oscar winner Olivia Colman will star as the wealthy, wedding dress-wearing spinster in the FX and BBC limited series adaptation of the Charles Dickens’ novel, which comes from Steven Knight.

Jack Quaid is the latest star to join Christopher Nolan‘s new movie, Oppenheimer.

AS some of Britain’s most terrifying gangsters, the Peaky Blinders loomed large over Victorian Britain — but most of them were barely five foot tall. As the hit BBC1 drama that tells their story returns for a sixth series later this month, a new documentary looks at the Birmingham mobsters who inspired the show.