Peaky Blinders star Sophie Rundle will wear costumes meant for Helen McCrory’s Aunt Polly

© Provided by Metro Caption: Peaky Blinders star Sophie Rundle will wear costumes meant for Helen McCrory?s Aunt Polly credit: BBC

Peaky Blinders favourite Helen McCrory will be kept alive by Ada Shelby star Sophie Rundle.

The sixth and final season of the hit BBC series finally comes back to the small screen tonight, more than two years after that epic cliffhanger aired.

However, one person whose absence will be truly felt this time around is Aunt Polly, who ruled the roost of the Shelby family in the previous five seasons.

Actress Helen McCrory, who played the formidable matriarch in the series, died last year aged 52 after a private illness with cancer.

Fans were devastated by the loss of actress and have wondered how the show would address the character’s absence.

But while that’s still yet to be explained, costume designer Alison McCosh sat down with Metro.co.uk prior to the series and explained another way in which Peaky would be paying tribute to the star, through Aunt Polly’s iconic outfits.

© Provided by Metro Aunt Polly has to be the coolest character in the Peaky series (Picture: BBC)

© Provided by Metro Caption: Peaky Blinders star Sophie Rundle will wear costumes meant for Helen McCrory?s Aunt Polly credit: BBC

Aunt Polly was known for her incredible style, with the clothes and accessories she wore an integral part of her character.

Reflecting on the the meaning behind her looks from last season, Alison explained to us: ‘In season five, we really wanted to make our mark with Polly. We really felt that the script really led to that and we discussed at the start [before season 6], that we could push her even further.’

Costumes for Aunt Polly season six had already been started on prior to the pandemic, as filming was due to start in March 2020 before being postponed.

Alison told us: ’It was really difficult because [Helen] was one that I had started [designing costumes for] very early on. Helen loved her costume fittings, I loved the fittings with her. They were exciting and engaging.

‘It was hard because I didn’t want to let her go. I didn’t want to let Polly go.’

© Provided by Metro Alison headed up costume design on seasons 4-6 (Picture: BBC/Caryn Mandabach Productions Ltd./Robert Viglasky)

She then decided to speak to Sophie, pitching the idea of Ada stepping into Polly’s position as the family matriarch through her clothes as well as her character.

‘I said, “I think it would be really interesting that Ada would want to step in and step off into Polly’s shoes, use some of these pieces that I’ve created and designed for Polly, if we can have Ada wear them, I think it would be really interesting visually to show that, [Ada] trying to step into Polly’s shoes.”

‘So we did that, Sophie loved that idea and that was a way for me to have Polly move on through Ada,’ Alison noted.

The creative detailed how Sophie found the process ‘really emotional,’ adding: ‘Sophie had just had the baby and I had gone to Sophie at her home after we discussed it over the phone as I chose the pieces to bring to her.

‘It was quite emotional, but also, it felt right and so we decided to do that. Sophie loved it.

The actress felt using the visual identity helped her ‘move forward’ with Ada, who has to step up in a big way in the series finale.

Chatting to Metro.co.uk separately, Sophie had previously explained she hoped Helen would be ‘proud’ of the finale.

She said of Helen’s death: ‘It was horrible and we were all devastated. I think that everybody felt that, whether you’d ever met her or not whether you’d work with her or not, I think the whole nation felt that it was devastating. It was too soon.

‘She was such an intrinsic part of the show, as Helen and Aunt Pol everything felt very off kilter not having her there, so you can imagine it was just horrible.

Sophie shared how her absence really cemented the fact ‘Helen made Peaky what it is, adding: ‘Aunt Pol was just the heart of it – she’s certainly not forgotten and she certainly remains the sort of beating heart of that show, I think.’

‘I don’t know how you could ever pay tribute to someone as amazing as her but I hope we’ve done so enough, you know, while keeping the story going, and I hope it’s enough. It’s a really tricky thing.

I can’t overstate enough how much a part of the show she was how I really think Helen elevated it into what it became. I think without her it wouldn’t have been the same. So I hope we I hope we’ve done I hope we’ve done her proud.’

Alison later addressed some of the other costume changes we might see, as the roles and responsibilities in the Shelby family are given a big shake-up.

it’s minimal with him. It is very, it’s very subtle, very, very subtle. And I think you can see that it’s very, very subtle, but you can see it, not massive changes, for example, season six, Tom’s coat. If you look at the lining, it’s a paisely and a deeper red this season.A different shade than it was before. But again, it’s marginal and subtle.