Peaky Blinders Archives - Helen McCrory

Cillian Murphy pays tribute to ‘dear friend’ Helen McCrory

On March 18, 2026March 18, 2026 By helenistic No Comments

‘One of the greatest human beings’ he has ever had the pleasure of knowing

Olivia Burke | LADBible | March 12,2026

LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 03: Cillian Murphy and Helen McCrory during a Q&A at the Premiere of BBC Two’s drama “Peaky Blinders” episode one, series three at BFI Southbank on May 3, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)

Peaky Blinders has made an almighty comeback in cinematic form – but for both the cast and the fans, Helen McCrory has left a void that can’t be filled.

Five years on from the death of the late and great actress, her on-screen family members who became her close friends have spoken of how they still feel the ache of her absence.

Speaking to LADbible ahead of the release of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, Cillian Murphy opened up about the ‘massive loss’ he experienced following the passing of his on-screen aunt.

Viewers were first introduced to McCrory’s iconic character, Polly Gray, in the pilot episode of Steven Knight’s hit series, which aired way back in 2013.

Formidable, fiercely protective and gifted with an insight into what will unfold in the future, the matriarch of the Shelby family is unforgettable in more ways than one.

Continue reading Cillian Murphy pays tribute to ‘dear friend’ Helen McCrory

Peaky Blinders’ Joe Cole: ‘Helen McCrory was a force of nature’

On September 15, 2024 By helenistic No Comments

By Helenistic | helen-mccrory.com | September 15, 2024

In a new “What I’ve Learnt” interview with The Sunday Times, British Actor Joe Cole, who worked with Helen on Peaky Blinders, pays a lovely tribute to her.

“Helen McCrory was a force of nature. The people who burn the brightest in this world may be the people who are taken too soon. [The actress, who played Polly Gray in Peaky Blinders, died in 2021.] It’s heartbreaking. You felt like you had to be on your toes around her, in a good way. She’d be asking you what you were doing that weekend, then she’d be cracking jokes and you’d have to have your game face on. She seized life by the balls. She was amazing with my little brother, Finn. Peaky Blinders was his first acting role. I know they were very close. She left a real mark on the world. I assumed everyone was as charismatic and funny as her, but as I’ve gone through the industry I’ve realised, oh, wait, no, that was just Helen.”

You can read the interview in its entirety here.

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Playwright David Hare and Peaky Blinders Creator Steven Knight Pay Tribute to Helen

On April 27, 2021April 28, 2021 By Gingersnap4Helen No Comments

“She Lit Up the Screen”

by David Hare and Steven Knight | Radio Times | April 27, 2021

David Hare Section:

One Saturday night in 1995 I sat down to watch a Screen Two film on BBC2. Streetlife, written and directed by Karl Francis, was about a single mother in a caravan in Wales, struggling to provide for her young child.

Although the material was bleak – Jo kills her child because she despairs of her future – it was played with the most extraordinary humour and vitality by a young actor I’d never seen before. She wore a tiny mini skirt, sparked with brave life, and gave one of the most moving performances I’d ever seen on TV.

Continue reading Playwright David Hare and Peaky Blinders Creator Steven Knight Pay Tribute to Helen

Audio Charity Feed NHS Podcast

Helen and Damian Discuss FeedNHS Efforts on The Coronavirus Newscast

On April 9, 2020April 12, 2021 By Gingersnap4Helen No Comments

The Coronavirus Newscast

by Gingersnap4Helen | helen-mccrory.com | April 9, 2020

Every day, Adam Fleming, Laura Kuenssberg, Fergus Walsh and Chris Mason bring us the latest on the coronavirus pandemic in the UK via the The Coronavirus Newscast. They discuss the latest public health information and how it is affecting our lives. On Thursday, April 9, 2020 Helen and Damian were guests on the podcast to share with listeners about their #FeedNHS campaign and their efforts to feed frontline heroes and hospital staff.

Listen here at about 21:30 in.

Here are some soundbites and highlights in transcription form:

Continue reading Helen and Damian Discuss FeedNHS Efforts on The Coronavirus Newscast

Interviews Peaky Blinders Print Media

Helen McCrory Interview: The Chap

On November 29, 2019April 12, 2021 By Gingersnap4Helen No Comments

Peaky Blinders Season 5

by Gustav Temple | The Chap | November 29, 2019

Gustav Temple meets the star of Peaky Blinders, whose character Aunt Polly not only holds the entire Shelby family together, but also wears the most stylish outfits.

I’ve talked to your co-star Paul Anderson and creator Steven Knight about the men’s styling of Peaky Blinders. What was your experience in the costume department? Did you have any say in what you wear as Aunt Polly?

I’m a real pain in the neck when it comes to costume, because it’s really important to me. I’ve always really designed what I’ve been wearing alongside the designer, because it makes an enormous difference to how you move, how you’re perceived and how you feel. So right from the beginning when we started Peaky, I wanted Polly to have a very tight silhouette, so they were saying, ‘This is the period, it’s drop-waist…’ and I said, yeah, I’m not wearing that. We need a corset and a hobble skirt and boots up to the thigh, and everything a size too small, tailored within an inch of its life. We need massive hair, with pins I’m going to stab people with, things I can whip out of fur, I need a gun on the inside thigh in a garter. It should all make me feel a certain way.

Continue reading Helen McCrory Interview: The Chap