Disney+ is set to come out gloves raised this February 21 with the launch of “A Thousand Blows,” a gripping 6-part series set in the dangerous world of illegal boxing in Victorian London.
Created by Steven Knight, the visionary behind “Peaky Blinders,” this new series features an all-star cast including Stephen Graham, Malachi Kirby, Erin Doherty, and more. “A Thousand Blows” is inspired by real-life stories of individuals fighting for survival in London’s ruthless East End during the 1880s.
The series follows Hezekiah Moscow (Kirby) and Alec Munroe (Lovehall), best friends from Jamaica who become entangled in London’s bare-knuckle boxing scene. As Hezekiah rises to fame, he draws the attention of the notorious Mary Carr (Doherty), while Sugar Goodson (Graham), a ruthless kingpin of the East End boxing world, plots to destroy him. The series explores the clash between old traditions and new ambitions in a battle for power, survival, and respect.
In anticipation of its release on Disney+ in the UK and Ireland, Hulu in the U.S., and select countries on February 21, 2025, in an interview with Stephen Graham, who plays the menacing Sugar Goodson and also serves as an Executive Producer, he discussed Matriarch Productions’ involvement, the challenge of recreating 1880s London, the physical demands of the role, and what viewers can expect to take away from this epic period series.
[CinemaChords] How did this project first start for you?
[Stephen Graham] Hannah (Walters) and I were looking at the next project we’d like to do at Matriarch Productions. It was Hannah who, when this landed on the table as a concept, thought about approaching Steven Knight to write it. We only had a few brief descriptions of Hezekiah, Sugar and his brother, Treacle, and a couple of historical photographs. Hannah said “I think this is great, Steven Knight would be brilliant writing this.” I didn’t think we had a chance but she insisted “I bet you I have, watch…” and she sent an email. About three days later, Hannah pulled me over to her computer and said “Have a look at that… I told you!” and Steven had written back saying he’d love to be involved. Steven then took these three characters and he just ran with it. He brought into the equation the Forty Elephants and Mary Carr and all of these beautiful characters alongside them. He is also fantastic at creating worlds, he’s magnificent, he really is, and these rich characters started to populate this vibrant East London landscape. Kate Lewis, exec producer at The Story collective, and our room of writers, who are so talented, then took Steve’s first two scripts and carried this world right the way through to the end of the series. They’ve enriched it with a beautiful tapestry of their own voices and characters, so each one of them, each one of the episodes, has the individuality of our writers infused into it. Working with Steve again was great, and to work with these wonderful new writers, Insook Chappell, Harlan Davies, Ameir Brown and Yasmin Joseph, was truly an honour.
[CC] What characters in A Thousand Blows were you particularly keen to bring to the screen?
[SG] The series stars, Hezekiah and Alec, have travelled from Jamaica to London in search of a better life. The authenticity that Malachi and Francis brought to the characters was phenomenal. As a producer of the series there’s a duty of care to uphold with these characters, introducing them to many audiences for the very first time, as well as showcasing both of these actors skills. I never knew about Hezekiah until I saw his photograph. Then people started adding the research and this wonderful man, that has been brought to life by Malachi, is now represented on our screens. It’s a joy to watch.
[CC] Who is Sugar Goodson and what makes him a fun character to play?
Sugar Goodson owns and runs the Blue Coat Boy pub, which houses the last remaining bare-knuckle boxing ring in Wapping in the East End of London. Sugar is full of complexities. His view on life gives the character realism, which is ultimately what attracts me to the roles I play. Sugar’s complexities stem from overcoming a mass trauma as a child. He’s had to fight to get where he is, and overcome adversity in order to carve his world out in the East End of London. He’s had to fight to get where he is and he doesn’t want to lose it. When we meet Sugar he is the king of his own kingdom, his castle being the Blue Coat Boy pub, which is beautifully captured in Steve Knight’s first script. Sugar is very protective of the community he and his brother have been involved in building. Sugar is respected in the area, feared by some, but the community look to him. He’s as honest as the day is long, sometimes to a fault. Sure, he does a few little deals here and there on the side but he’s ultimately a survivor. He’s very proud of the roots he has made in Wapping. Sugar is very protective of his status as a fearsome opponent in the boxing ring. He sees bare-knuckle boxing as a working man’s sport. Its honourable and for it to be honourable you fight with fists, you don’t wear gloves. He’s fearful of the gentrification of the sport that he knows and loves. In Sugar’s mind, the noble art of boxing is being bastardised by the hoi polloi out West. He’s got old-fashioned values tied up in the sport. I loved playing him.
[CC] Is there a change coming that Sugar is not too happy about?
[SG] Sugar wants everything to stay as-is and doesn’t see the need to change anything. He’s very happy with the way things are. What is interesting to play is ultimately Sugar is frightened of change, and change comes in a few different forms. The arrival of Hezekiah Moscow into his patch of London represents that wind of change that Sugar is concerned about. It’s the possibility of a new world that drives Hezekiah but frightens Sugar, not that he’d ever show it. Sugar’s brother, Treacle, is interested in the fancy lights and draw of the West End boxing scene. This is where Treacle feels they can make a bigger name for themselves. Sugar’s attitude however is that of “we are the richest men in East London” and he doesn’t want any more than that, so this underlying fear of change is a key driver for Sugar.
[CC] What would you describe Sugar’s goal as in the boxing ring?
[SG] In the series, Sugar and his brother Treacle have fight nights in the Blue Coat Boy pub, where on a Friday and Saturday night, they opened up their doors to all walks of life. You could grab a drink and see 4-5 fights throughout the night. For Sugar, you’re not going to want to dance around a ring for twenty minutes each fight. Your basic aim and objective is to get in, smash them, and then get out. So that is where Sugar’s technique started from. With Sugar, each punch is a punch that could finish the opponent so Sugar is economical with his punches. There is a lot of power behind his punches. If Sugar is having multiple fights a night, he wants to get them over as quick as possible. He doesn’t want many to go past round one.
[CC] How did you train for the role?
[SG] I did quite a bit of studying and watching of boxing matches to train for the role. I had my own trainer and my pal Graham Ridge, he’s been boxing from a young age, and he helped me define a style. This also helped me work out the character I wanted to create from a physical sense and a fighting sense. It was a really enjoyable experience to get into shape – the best shape I’ve ever been in! It was also good to stay as close to the authenticity of the character and the time period as possible. So it wasn’t all about having a sixpack, it was about trying to create a fighter, a street brawler. I put some weight on and then worked on the cutting process. It was a really great experience working to create the physical aspects of this bare-knuckle street fighter.
[CC] What is Sugar’s style of boxing?
[SG] Were there any boxing inspirations during your research that helped in creating the character? We added elements of street fighting into the mix and Sugar is known to bite sometimes, which for me is great to play as it is so visceral. Sugar also adopts a flurry of punches and body shots. Because I’m small, you use what you’ve got. I don’t have a long reach so it’s about going for the body and taking them down that way, and protecting my head. My main inspiration for this was Lenny McLean. He was a much bigger man than me but the presence he had and the kind of veracity he fought with was compelling. Each shot was a shot to knock someone out, so we wanted to build on that area and strength. We worked around the shoulders and packed me up in the shoulders and back first. I really wanted that authenticity in my physique. I studied a lot and immersed myself into the boxing world. I learnt the fundamental basics and then built on this to create Sugar’s unique style and way of fighting. Derek Lea who was our fight coordinator, was terrific. We worked together on the fights and the style we wanted to show for the character. We all worked together to define what sort of fighter Sugar is with his own technique. That immense power.
[CC] Who is Mary Carr to Sugar? What does she bring out in Sugar that noone else does?
[SG] Sugar’s story with Mary is really interesting. She brings out a completely different side to Sugar that nobody else really gets to see. She gets to see his vulnerability because he feels he can let his guard down with her. There’s a longing, there’s a deep sense of love between them, a deep connection. He has great respect for her. Erin and I created a backstory just for us to have in the back of our minds when playing these two characters. I love Erin, she’s wonderful to work with.
[CC] Recreating 1880s East London as a set is no small feat? What does an immersive set give you as an actor?
[SG] The whole set that was built in Mortlake, West London was unbelievable. I’ve been lucky in my career that I’ve been on some wonderful sets. I felt very blessed and honoured walking out onto our set for A Thousand Blows. The amount craft that has gone into creating 1880s East London, with a great attention to detail, is magnificent. It’s hands down the best set I’ve ever been on. There is real genius in the people behind the creation of our sets, of which the UK industry is fantastic at doing. Even though there are lots of moving parts to bring this series together, for me, what I can’t wait for people to see is the world that has been created. From the people who came up with the initial design, in our case production designer Tom Burton, to the set artists and model makers, carpenters and construction teams, painters, and the amazing set dressers and art department – they’ve all come together to make our world. For me, if I’m a half-decent an actor, as soon as I put my foot on that set, if you can’t believe that you’re in that time period and you can’t immerse yourself in this world, then you might as well go home. This world is created for you, and it is beautiful. With our Blue Coat Boy boxing ring set, once we’d filled that space with 150 supporting artists, all shouting and screaming and really getting into the fight nights shouting “Sugar, Sugar!”, you really do believe you’re in that scene. Even if it lasts for a second, that means the world to an actor. You allow your imagination to run away with itself. You live that moment. Every person’s attention to detail that was on this crew bought the world of A Thousand Blows to life. Everyone on this cast and crew gave it their all.
[CC] What do you hope the audience will enjoy when watching the series?
[SG] There is something in the series for everyone. There are complicated relationships between Sugar and his brother, and between Sugar, Mary and Hezekiah. There is the visceral world of bareknuckle boxing, and there are these wonderful women found in the Forty Elephants. I hope the audience will enjoy these stories and the lives of these characters. I hope that we have honoured them and the audience will find the fact that these people were real, and really existed in London at the same time, as fascinating as it was for us all to play them. I believe the audience will really enjoy the luxurious sets and the attention to detail of the world created by the art department, costume and make-up teams. We all worked hard on the richness of the visuals. We wanted to show that 1880s Wapping was truly a diverse melting pot of characters and cultures and contained laughter, music, comedy, and entertainment.
[CC] Describe A Thousand Blows in three words.
[SG] Exciting. Visceral, Magnificent.
“A Thousand Blows” launches on Disney+ in the UK and Ireland, Hulu in the U.S. and select other countries on Disney+ on 21 February 2025.
